


Before whom evil trembles

by ThunderCat



Category: The Mummy Series
Genre: Adventure & Romance, Ancient Egypt, F/M, Medjai - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-01
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2018-04-24 07:43:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 64,031
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4911067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThunderCat/pseuds/ThunderCat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sand of Egypt hides many secrets. Some should never be brought back to the surface. Once again Ardeth has to defend the world form a force so old and powerfull that even the gods feared its wrath. This time though it's not only his life at risk, but his heart as well. Ardeth/OC eventually</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Sadly Ardeth Bay is not mine :-( I do not make any money from this and blablaba...nothings mine except Lilly and the plot. 
> 
> I posted the first 12 chapters on FF.net. But I love the opportunity to post pictures with the chapters, so I will post it here as well.

Prologue one:

Thebes 1348 BC

The royal guard tried not to show the uneasiness he felt, while he listened to the Pharaoh's excited voice. The dark cloth that only left his eyes for everyone to see helped, but Sheshi was careful not to move a muscle or let his eyes flicker to the man he vowed to protect with his life. Never before had he felt less proud about his position. The current king was not only insane but also very dangerous due to his believes and schemes.

  
Six years ago Amenhotep IV ascended the throne and many things had changed in that short period of time. And not for the best. Other as his father Amenhotep III who not only ruled Egypt with a strong hand and thoughtful mind but also honoured the great gods as it was his duty, his son abandoned all traditional believes.

  
No longer was he known as Amenhotep IV but demanded to be called Akhnaton, to honour his one and only god, Aton. While his father was strong enough to restrain the power gaining priests of Aton, Akhnaton was all too willing to let them use him for their ploys.

  
The number of his enemies had risen every year since his coronation and it would increase further if he proceed with his blasphemy. Even the simple people in the streets started to question his state of mind and with every temple and stature he destroyed to replace them with ones of Aton, he fuelled up a dangerous ire.

  
Other as the Pharaoh the priests were not blind regarding the resentments of their people and feared them, rightfully so Sheshi thought. Most of them were without weapons but their number alone posed a great threat.

  
Atonepti, the highest ranking priest in Thebes, was doing his best to place the seed of fear inside the young Pharaoh's heart and quite successfully so from the sounds of it. But it was not his words which caused the uneasiness in Sheshi's chest, but the ones of his companion. The younger man had not been part of the royal court for long but his ambitions were well known among the guards, some of his brothers even feared that he would try to climb the throne himself. Sheshi did not believe those rumours but he wasn't stupid enough to underestimate the man.

  
After all it was him who suggested to use the Dreadful One to crush all of Aton's enemies to the Pharaoh and insane as Akhnaton was, he started to take a shine to the idea.

  
The royal guard knew that he could not let that happen. His duty like that of every other warrior in the palace was towards the Pharaoh, but a long time ago the Great Queen Hatschepsut herself made the most allegiant of them swear a blood oath which overruled every other duty. And Sheshi had every intention to uphold that vow. He would have to talk to the others as soon as possible. Somehow they had to get their hands on the pendant and hide it well. Without it Akhnaton would not dare to follow the idea. He might be insane but he was not suicidal.

  
Hopefully one of his brothers would come up with a plan, otherwise Egypt would have to worry about more than just a blasphemous king.


	2. Prologue 2

Cairo, April 1921 AD

Aden Bay, chieftain of the first tribe of the Medjai, never thought that his life would end like this. He had lived the life of a warrior and wished to die like one, but obviously fate had another end in mind.

  
He was nearly swooning from the pain the ugly wound in his chest caused and was barely able to keep conscious. But he had to hold on. Giving up now would not only mean his death but would also allow his persecutors to lay their filthy hands on the treasure he guarded.

  
Zahid, his second in command and he himself had responded to an urgent call from one of their men here in Cairo. Over the last few month a group of adventure seeking Europeans had asked a lot of annoying questions regarding the temple complex in Karnak. It wasn't the first time he had to deal with treasure hunters and noisy western people, so he did not think much of it at first. Now he had to pay for his carelessness, he thought bitterly and pressed himself further into the wall of the little store. Grimacing in pain he slowly slid down the on stones, knowing that he was no longer able to hold himself upright.

  
It had not taken them long to find the Europeans in question, after they had been told the name of the hotel they stayed in. Unfortunately the five foreigners had not been the only ones who appeared in the picture. With an increasing uneasiness Zahid and he himself had watched the group mingle with two natives that were no strangers to the Medjai. Both had once been called brother by him, but had been expelled for various reasons. These days they filled their pockets by showing tourists around and for the right amount of money they lead treasure hunters to forbidden places.

  
At first he had not been too worried. No chieftain would ever allow a renegade to live, if he possessed too much information. His tribe could not allow the wrong kind of people to discover their secrets. Some things weren't destined to be found and others were better forgotten and buried in the sands of time. So he was more than just a little shocked when he recognised the medallion around the neck of the tall white-haired man. How was it possible that this foreigner was in possession of something that old and dangerous? Something the Medjai thought lost to sands and time for hundreds of years? If the strangers had only a vague idea about the thread the medallion could unfold, and from the kinds of questions they kept asking Aden feared they did, they were all in grave danger.

  
Sadly there had not been time to inform the others and consult the elders. Aden knew they had to get the medallion back at any cost, so the two of them decided that the element of surprise was the best weapon they possessed at the moment. Unfortunately their precipitous act had come with a high price. Though Aden was able to overpower the old man and get the jewellery easily he was shot on his getaway. He had no idea what happened to Zahid but he feared for the worst.

  
Pushing his worry for his friend aside he had used the chaos the shooting had caused to his advantage and rushed through gaping crowd and towards the daily market, which was always busy at this time of the day. But his followers had been persistent and Aden feared that it was only a matter of time before they would find him. Specially now that the first rush of adrenalin was gone and his body could n't ignore the damage the bullet had caused him any longer. He was only a few crossways from the hotel and nowhere near a safe house.

  
Ripping down the cloth that hid most of his face, he pressed it firmly against the wound in his chest. A low agonized moan escaped his lips and he could feel the cold sweat running down his face and back, as the pain shot through his body. Stars were dancing in front of his eyes and for a few moments Aden feared he lost his battle against the darkness that lurked on the brink of his mind and tried to overpower him. Closing his eyes he tried to concentrate on his breathing and it seemed to do the trick, after a few moments. The problem was he couldn't stay here like this, he had to come up with a plan and quick.

  
Dyeing in a dirty street like a homeless mug was not an option, after all he had to fulfil a duty. Unfortunately it didn't look good, neither for his health nor for his responsibilities. Irritated his fingers clasped tightly around the medallion, which was the sole reason for his current state. If he was going to die for it, he had to make sure that it was never found by those who lusted after the power it held at least.

  
The museum was not that far away but every time he changed his position only lightly he was paralysed by the pain and he seriously doubted that his legs were strong enough to even carry him down the alley, much less the hole way to the museum.

  
As the minutes passed he could feel the life slowly draining out of him and for the first time in many years Aden felt the urge to cry, though he wasn't sure if it was due to the pain, the frustration or the sorrow that suddenly filled his heart. He could not die! Not here, not like this!

  
His tribe needed him, his family needed him. Ardeth, his son, was much too young to bear the responsibility that came with holding the title of the chieftain. Swallowing hard his thoughts drifted towards his wife, his beautiful sweet Samina, and the sudden knowledge that he would never see her again pained him more than any physical wound ever could. Now he was sorry that he had not found a way to spent more time with his family. His wife knew of the burden that weighed on his shoulders and had never been less than supporting and encouraging. She had always been his source of calm and peace, the one person he could just be himself with. The man, not the chieftain. But now he feared he hadn't told her often enough how much he loved her, that she was his life and light.

  
_“Are you not feeling well?”_ The soft spoken question ripped him out of his thoughts and his eyes snapped open, while his hand automatically grasped for his scimitar. The sudden movement had him hissing in pain and it took him a moment before he was able to take in the person in front of him. What he found had him blinking in surprise, it wasn't at all what he had expected.

  
The voice belonged to a young girl, who looked at him with a worried expression. From the colour of her only slightly tanned skin and her long auburn hair that fell in gentle waves down her back, it was clear that she wasn't of his people. What surprised him though was that she'd spoken to him in his native tongue. She was dressed like the local girls but the material of her robes was of a better quality and even adorned on the hemline. Standing there, with her exotic hair and expensive robes, she looked like a little princess to him.

  
_“You can speak my language?”_

  
That question seemed to amuse her, as she started giggling and Aden felt it hard to resist the charming laugh.

  
“ _Of course, silly,_ ” She told him airily and Aden grinned. It had been a long time since anybody dared to call him silly.

  
_“Of course,”_ he agreed. _“And what is a charming little lady like you doing in an abandoned street like this, all on her own?”_

  
For a brief second she hesitated before a determined look crossed her face and her fist actually clenched at her site. _“I'm hiding. My parents want to move back home, but I don't want to,”_ she huffed. _“I am home!”_ She actually stomped her feet at that.

  
Rising an eyebrow he looked her over once again. “ _You were born in Egypt?”_ It was a bit surreal to make small talk with this slip of a girl, while his wound was getting the better of him, but he found himself enthralled with her. _“What is your name?”_

  
Stepping nearer she eyed him carefully as if she just now realised that he was a complete stranger to her. For a moment her eyes focused on his chest, but the cloth was dark enough to cover the blood, or so he hoped. Finally she shrugged and smiled again. _“My name is Lilliana Sofia, after my grandmothers, but you can call me Lilly. Everybody does.”_

  
Before he had a chance to introduce himself she continued. _“And I live here since I was little.”_ Well from his point of view, she was still little but he had a feeling she wouldn't like to hear that.

  
_“And how old are you, Lilly?”_

  
_“I'm eight and a half,”_ she answered proudly and suddenly decided to step nearer. Near enough for him to catch a glimpse of an astonishing pair of green eyes. For a moment he felt uncomfortable with the intensity in it. But if she noticed that something was out of order she didn't comment on it.

  
_“And what is your name?”_

  
_“A pretty lady as you may call me Aden!”_

  
Obviously he still could charm a lady, even if she was only a child, as she blushed prettily. He would have chuckled, hadn't it hurt so badly. Swallowing the pain he tried to concentrate on the girl, maybe there was a way out for him, at least concerning his duty.

  
_“So, you have to leave soon?”_

  
Pouting prettily she nodded. _“Yes, Mama is homesick and now that the war is over and everything is settling down, Papa gave in to her wishes.”_ It was not hard to read between the lines, what she thought of those wishes. _“Mama doesn't like it here. She thinks it's too hot and too dusty and she calls everyone a barbarian, but I think that is stupid!”_ Lilly huffed and crossed her little arms in front of her and he nearly expected her to stomp her feet again. _“I like it here. All my friends are here and I can accompany Papa and watch him work. I don't want to go to stupid Germany, I want to stay!”_ She whined clearly on the brink of tears.

  
_“Maybe you can come back one day,_ ” he suggested hastily at the prospect of being confronted with a crying female.

  
_“You think so?”_ A flicker of hope appeared in her eyes and held the water at bay.

  
Considering the desperate plan that had popped up in his mind, he was not sure if it was a good idea to encourage a possible return, but it was plain obvious that she considered Egypt her home and he did not want to crush her young heart, so he nodded.

  
Now she was beaming and Aden was stuck by her appearance. Her eyes were positively shining and her hair framed her like a halo. This one would break many hearts in the years to come, he was sure. Remembering her little display of temper earlier he hoped the man she ended up with possessed enough skill and patience to handle a spitfire like her. Even after only ten minutes with her he was sure that having her in your life would make it anything but dull.

  
Admonishing himself to focus on the important things the clenched his teeth together and tried to sit up a bit more. A bit surprised he noticed that the pain was not as prominent as before, but at the same time he noticed that he barely felt his legs any more.

  
_“Are you okay?”_

  
He had not noticed that he had closed his eyes for a moment, but as he opened them again he was confronted with two worried green orbs directly in front of him.  
_“Just a bit tired!”_ Little Lilly did not look like she believed him but when he did not add anything else to it she changed the topic.

  
_“What are those signs on your face?”_ Not shy of contact she brushed her finger over each mark with a curious look on her face. Obviously she had never seen something like that before, which did not surprise him, considering her upbringing.

  
For a moment he hesitated, not sure if he could allow himself to talk to her a bit longer. He would have to send her on her way as soon as he gave her the medallion and a part of him dreaded that he had to do it. He enjoyed her company, however he was quickly running out of time and there was always the possibility that the foreign men would find him and didn't want to risk her safety.

  
Sighing he ignored his rational thoughts and smiled at her.

  
_“The one on my forehead is the mark of my clan. There are twelve different tribes but mine is the first.”_ Not many people knew about the true meaning of their marks outside the tribe but it wasn't as if it was a great secret either. _“The others, the one on my cheeks mark me as a warrior of my tribe. Every young Medjai has to earn them. They are unique for every warrior and represent an attribute which sets him apart from everyone else.”_

  
_“And what is the meaning of your marks?”_ By now she was kneeing beside him, obviously fascinated with what he was telling her.

  
_“Strength and loyalty.”_ And if his wife would have had any say in that matter obstinacy would have found its mark as well. The thought of his family brought a new wave of sadness and loss over him and he knew it was time to come to an end.

  
_“I have something for you,_ ” he announced and raised his hand which still held the jewellery. “ _It would only be right to present you with a goodbye gift, if you have to leave my country, don't you think?”_ The numbness that had captured most of his body made it hard to move his fingers, but he was able to show her the medallion.

  
_“A present? For me?_ ” Her breath hitched and her eyes got huge with surprise but she was near enough to him to notice the sparkle of excitement.

  
_“Here_ ,” willing his muscles to obey him he lifted his arm a bit higher so that he could cover her hand with his. Putting the gem into the palm of her little hand, he withdrew his own and was barely able to let it slide back into his lap. It felt as if it weight a million tonnes.

  
She was silent for so long that Aden feared he had started to slip away, down into the darkness, which felt so much nearer than a few minutes ago. His eyes fluttered shut for a moment, but as soon as her soft voice filled the air again, they snapped open. Hu...apparently she was not an illusion.

  
_“It's so beautiful_ ,” her voice was filled with awe and her fingers carefully traced the lines of the lid but she didn't open it. _“And you really want me to have it? Mamma says I shouldn't take things from strangers.”_

  
Aden nearly snorted. He was pretty sure her mother also told her not to lurk in dark alleys and talk to strangers. “ _Yes, saira. I want you to have it, so you have something that reminds you of the country you love so much. And every time you get homesick you simply need to hold it and you will feel better.”_ He mumbled, fighting to keep his eyes open. _“Do you think you can do that?”_

  
_“Yes,”_ she breathed, clearly relieved that it would be okay for her to take it. Eagerly she swept it over her neck, and grinned brightly at him. _“Thank you, I promise I will always wear it.”_ She told him before she unexpectedly launched herself at him in a hug that nearly knocked the wind out of him. The pain that shot through him even broke through the all-consuming numbness and had him groaning in pain. His moans did not go unnoticed and Lilly immediately let go of him.

  
_“Did I hurt you Aden? I didn't mean to, I just wanted to thank you for your gift!”_ She innocently told him and starred at him with wide eyes.

  
_“No saira, you didn't hurt me, but I think it is time for you to go home. Your parents will worry about your whereabouts and you should spend the rest of your time with your friends not some old man.”_ He tried to sooth her.

  
_“But you're my friend too, are you not?”_

  
Smiling he nodded. “ _Yes I am, and as your friend I don't want your parents angry with you because you spent so much time alone on the streets._ ”

  
Once again her mouth formed into a pretty pout but his words seemed to do the trick and finally she nodded and stood up. “ _And you are going to be okay Aden?_ ”

  
“ _Yes,_ ” the lie came easy about his lips.

  
“ _Promise?_ ”

  
“ _Promise,_ ” this time he hesitated for a second. He did not like to break a promise but he knew it was necessary.

  
_“Okay!_ ” She nodded carefully but hesitated for a second. And then, quick as the wind she leant forward and brushed a kiss on his checks, right where his mark was. Giggling and blushing at the same time she smiled at him. _“Goodbye Aden.”_ And with another airy laugh she was gone.

  
Her sudden absence hit him like a punch in the guts, it felt as if the last bit of light had suddenly been withdrawn from him and he was helpless to fight the dizziness any longer. His eyes fluttered shut and soon everlasting darkness consumed him.

  
Aden Bay, great chieftain of the twelve tribes, was dead.


	3. Chapter 1: A way back home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilly is finally able to get back to Egypt!

Chapter one: A way back home

Göttingen Germany, September 1933 AD:

“What do you mean, you will go back?” Her mother was on a roll, Lilly knew it was pointless to say anything at this point so she simply leant back and let her.

  
“You really want to go back to that god forsaken country? Why in god’s name would you want that? God knows how lucky I was when we finally left.”

  
She used the word god three times in a row. That was never a good sign. On the other hand Lilliana had not expected anything less. The good thing was though, that she could not care less. As of today she was her own woman and no longer forced to endure her mother’s every whim. But Anna Blackmoor had yet to find out about that.

  
“I told your father from the beginning that it was a bad idea to go there. I understood that we had to leave, but why Egypt? We could have gone everywhere. Maybe France or Italy but no it had to be that barbaric country.”

  
“Last time I checked Italy and France both took part in the world war mother,” Lilly snorted and not for the first time she asked herself, how her father could have fallen for a woman like her. She knew it was not very nice to think badly about the woman that birthed you, but she could not help herself. There weren't two people in the world that had been more ill-suited for each other. Her father had been a loving, kind and fairly intelligent as well as open minded man. His wife on the other hand was as narrow minded as one could get, self-serving and not the brightest bulb out there. Physical beauty was probably all she could claim for herself and likely what brought her into the place she was today.

  
Though her farther had never said it out loud Lilly suspected that her mother seduced him, because of his money and blackmailed him to marry her due to her being pregnant. She was an early child and graced the lives of her parents seven month after their wedding.

  
“Don't get cheeky with me missy! Is that how you thank me for everything I've done for you?”

  
It lay on the tip of her tongue to ask her mother what she thought she had ever done for her, but stopped herself. After all it was not as if she expected an answer to her question. Instead Lilly leant back and let her mother go on with her rant. There was not much she had not heard before. All in all it contained her failure as a daughter, how something just was not right with her and that other girls her age would be looking for a husband to start a family with and were not seeking for adventures.

  
“I always told your father that it was a bad idea to send you to those school, didn't I? All it did was putting strange ideas in your head!”

  
Everything besides settling down to raise a family and allow your husband to think and act for you was strange in the mind of her mother. In her opinion a girl did not need education that exceeded basic school. Luckily her farther saw things different and not only encouraged her but taught her everything he knew himself.

  
Nathaniel Blackmoor had been a professor on the local university teaching Egyptology and ancient languages. His assignment had been the reason why he moved from England to Germany and had he not met her mother he may have gone back after a period of time. But his marriage and the upcoming war had thwarted his plans. Two years after her birth they had moved to Egypt to escape the Great War, where he had taken a job in one of the museums. Much like her father Lilliana had come to love the country; the people, the weather and their history with all their outlasting architecture. The day they had to return to Germany had been a sad one for both her father and herself and she had sworn herself to go back one day.

  
Her hand wandered to the medallion around her neck on its own volition. Not once in all the years since Aden had gifted her with the gem, had she taken it off other than to take a bath. She had taken everything he told her to heart and every time she felt sad, regardless of the reason, she rubbed it between her fingers. And every time she did so her heart truly felt lighter.

  
She had gone through the ritual that many times that it actually broke in two. The oval medallion was made of gold and possessed an Anch symbol on the front lid. Originally the opal made cross was tightly fixed to the lid but her habit of grasping it all the time had loosened the fusion so much, that one day it broke. She had been devastated but wasn't willing to let anybody get their hands on it, so she simply brought a delicate gold chain and attached the Anch to it.

  
These days she barely opened the medallion any more, out of fear to damage it further. Not that she needed to do so to know what it looked like. She had stared at it more nights than she could count and had memorized it down to the finest detail. The inside showed the image of a lion. Well it was more a picture of a woman with lion like features. Most of her form was graved into the metal while small red stones, maybe rubies were portraying the eyes though. But it was the hair that truly stood out. The lion's mane was actually made out of real hair at least that was what it looked like. It was red, like the rubies, with darker strains here and there.

  
All in all it looked a bit tawdrily, like something one would find at the stalls on the bazaar in Egypt, where merchants tried to foist worthless amulets, relicts and other trash upon ignorant tourists. But Lilly was fairly sure the stones and the gold were pure and the signs which were engraved in the inside looked ancient. She had tried to look them up, her father’s library was full of books containing hieroglyphs of all cultures, but till this day she had found nothing on it and she was not entirely sure if they were simply too old to be known or if they were nothing more than meaningless twirls. Somehow she doubted it. Maybe she could find out more about it once she was back in Egypt. Not only about the medallion but about Aden's people too.

  
He had called them Medjai, desert warriors. Information about them were nearly as rare as one about the medallion. But she had not been able to forget about the man who had gifted her with the gem, his face would often appear in her dreams and through the years guilt had found its way into them too. As a child she had felt that something was not right, though she had not been able to put a finger on it and maybe had not been willing to dig deeper. These days she was fairly certain he had been in pain, deeply so and it had been his condition that forced him to present her with the medallion. On the other hand it happened many years ago and she could not be certain if her mind was fabricating these things, but it was nagging at her and she knew she would not be able to put it aside before she did something about it. Like seeking him out or at least his tribe.

  
“Lilliana Sophia Blackmoor!” The use of her full name snapped her out of her musings. “Are you even listening to me?”

  
“Of course.” Not, she thought and inwardly rolled her eyes.

  
“So?”

  
“So what?”

  
“What about Leonard?”

  
“What about him?” She pressed knowing exactly what her mother was aiming at. Leonard Friedrich Greifenwald was everything her mother ever dreamed about in a son in law. He was rich, good looking and came from the right family. An old family with a lot of connections which was probably why her mother was hell bent on forcing her on him.

  
“He's shown a promising interest in you, if you play your cards right...”

  
“Mother!” Lilly interrupted her angrily.

  
“Well someone has to point it out for you. Other girls would give anything to be the next Lady Greifenwald. What will he think when he hears that you ran off to some god forsaken country?”

  
He would probably shrug his shoulders and look for another challenge. Leonard was a player. The man had the look, the smile and the charm and he was used to women falling over their feet to get his attention. His family name and wealth only added to the attraction. The fact that she had given him the cold shoulder was the only reason he kept pestering her. Clearly he was not used to a woman saying no and the challenge of changing her mind evidently was a way of fighting the boredom one felt when he had everything in life presented on a silver pattern.

  
Not that she really gave a damn about what Leonard Greifenwald would think. Truth to be told, since the death of her father two years ago there was not a single person which opinion matter for her, after all there was not anyone left who returned the favour. Her mother did not care for her but for what she could do for herself and she had not much family beside her. All her grandparents beside her father’s mother died in the First World War and she had never come to know them, not even her grandmother, as she lived in England and died shortly after the war ended. Her mother was an only child. Her uncles from her father’s side were absent too. One went missing with the rest of his unit and the other was killed in a bombing. If she remembered correctly she once heard her father talking about the pregnant widow of his older brother, so she might have a cousin out there, but she could hardly call a person she had never met family. More or less she was alone, but she intended to change that eventually, though it was not her prime concern at the moment.

  
For now she simply wished to enjoy her new found freedom and for that she'd decided to return to the spot where she'd been the happiest in her live; Egypt.

  
“...so no. No, I forbid you to go! You will banish these silly ideas of yours out of your head and start acting your age and...and social standing!”

  
For a long moment Lilly did nothing but stare at the woman in front of her. She was of average height much like herself but held herself in a way that oozed self-importance. The years had been kind to Anna and her red-blond hair was still shiny and long, her skin barely showed her true age and her slender and well-shaped figure still had the power to turn a few heads. The elegant clothes, careful manicure and well applied make-up only added to that.

  
Though Lilly was a bit curvier around her hips and bust and her hair more of a dark auburn than an reddish blond, it was hard to miss that they shared the same gene-pole. The only thing she had inherited from her father was the green colour of her eyes, and it was also her favourite part of herself. Sometimes when she stared long enough into a mirror, she could almost see her father looking back at her. Shaking her head, as if to scare away those thoughts she turned her attention back to her mother who was still glaring at her with displeasure.

  
“No mother I will not,” she started calmly. “As of today you no longer have any say about what I do or don't do. Mr Peterson soughed me out this morning and informed me of a part in fathers will that allows me full power of attorney about a rather large fund he attached for me.” Money had never been an issue in her life but the sum, the lawyer had informed her about, nearly send her in a state of shock. That was of course before she realised that she was no longer tied to her mother but independent and wealthy of her own. She would have left anyway, after her twenty first birthday but the money truly alleviated things. Mr Peterson also informed her that her dear mother had no way of getting her hands on it and part of it was placed in funds and other investments so even she could not run through it on a whim. Not that she would.

  
“I don't need your approval to do anything but I truly wish you would at least try to understand that the things you want for me are not the same things I wish for in my life. And I'm not being silly, just because you never dared to live your dreams! I want and I will go to this god forsaken country as you call it, it has been my home since I was three. Coming back to Germany didn't change that. So you either accept my decision or not but in any case I will be gone next month!” And with that she got up and left the room, ignoring the fish expression her mother was regarding her with, as well as the shouts of her name that followed once she got over her shock.

  
There was a lot of packing to do and she had spent enough time arguing with her mother in the past now it was time to look what her future might bring along. It couldn't be worse than her mother on a bad day.

  
She would find out soon enough how wrong she was.


	4. Chapter 2: A familiar face

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilly meets Ardeths...and a whole lot of trouble

Chapter two: A familiar face

Cairo, February 1935 AD

Absorbed in her lecture about the reign of Seti I, Lilly did not hear her boss Khaleb Masabni entering the little room she called her own inside the museum. Like so often before he had to clear his throat several times before she finally noticed him. She was probably lucky that he liked her, or at least the fact that she spent a healthy sum to the museum.

  
„Mister Masabni,“ she smiled up at him. “What can I do for you?” The director was a small man who barley reached her chin. He was always dressed in a three-piece suit that was a wee bit too big for him and always wore a big smile on his lips. Lilly liked him, though he could be a bit tiring at times.

  
“Lady Blackmoor,” he started and Lilly sighed but did not correct him. She had given up after her first year and finally accepted that he would not call her Miss Blackmoor, or heaven forbid by her given name. Someone who looked like a lady, talked like a lady and dressed like a lady was a lady in his book at least that was what he told her every time she tried to remind him that she had inherit no such title.

  
And considering the simple slacks and blouses she wore most days she was not sure if her dress code fitted that of a lady. Hell, if he would overhear her cursing when something rubbed her the wrong way he would be horrified. Being looked away in a residential school near the sea, she had met a lot of sailors over the years, in secret of course. Her mother would have a stroke if she ever heard about her daughter spending time with common blackguards such as sailors, soldiers and hardworking people.

  
Well, Lilly surly had learned few things during that time. Knowledge no school but that on the streets taught, and in a place like Egypt where every day live was a lot harder than in the western countries it had already helped her more than one time.

  
“....remind you of the little soiree Friday evening.” His words finally ripped her out of her musings. Soiree? By the way Kahleb was looking at her he expected some sort of answer.

  
“Of course,” she hurried to assure him though she was not exactly certain what she just committed herself to. Somewhere in the back of her mind she believed to remember him telling her something regarding an exhibit of some flashy treasures and one or two not too bad preserved mummies, but she could be mistaken. Usually she only half listened to things like that.

  
Lilly hated those gatherings, where a bunch of rich and ignorant people tried to show everyone, who was willing to listen, their self-importance. The men were seeking for adventure and treasures while the women never failed to whine about the hardship they had to endure during their visit here. It was terrifying how much they had in common with her mother. Unfortunately she was the only western woman who worked for the museum and Kahleb was always eager to shove her in front of him to impress the guests. At first she had not minded much but over time she had developed a deep aversion against any event that was held in regards to supporters, sponsors and self-called patrons.

  
“Wonderful, Baron Weißenburg will be happy to hear that.” Lilly cringed at the mention of the older Austrian gentleman, but Kahleb didn't seem to notice. “He's one of our most respected supporters and I would have loathed to inform him that you couldn't make it. He seems very fond of you.”

  
More of her breasts.

  
“I wonder why,” she muttered sarcastically.

  
“Well, maybe it's your shared origin,” the director tried helpful and Lilly had to bite her tongue to keep herself from telling him that Austria and Germany were two different countries which simply shared a border, like it did with eight other countries but for some reason people were not able to get that through their skull.

  
As for Wilhelm Weißenburg, she was not sure what to make of him. Though he belonged into the circle of western people who thought their money and social standing made them superior to people in this country he was not stupid. A bit snobbish like most of them but not overly so, overbearing at times and a tart bit too courteous. But other than most he was truly interested in Egypt's colourful history and was fascinated with everything that was associated with it. He was the money behind a lot of archaeological excavation from Aswan up to Giza and supported museums in Cairo as well as in Alexandria which made him a welcome guest in a lot of places.

  
And she would have enjoyed their conversations about famous Pharaoh's and amazing discoveries if it was not for his wandering eyes. Every time he thought she was not looking he would stare at her chest. Just thinking about it made her cringe. The man was old enough to be her father!

  
But like every other time she would smile and keep her mouth shut. She liked the job too much to risk it with some smart mouth comment.

  
“I will be there, Mr Masabni.”

  
“Wonderful,” he smiled his big genuine smile, one she could not share. He was about to turn around but hesitated for a moment before he added. “I know you cherish scrolls and books more than gold and diamonds, but it's what the western people seek to find when they come here. And unfortunately we depend on the good will of our sponsors. Besides it will only be for a few hours, Lady Blackmoor.” He added nearly apologetic.

  
“I know,” she sighed and suddenly felt guilty. “I will do my best to not let you down.”

  
That brought another smile on his face and this time he left. She was more than happy to spend the remaining time of the day learning more about the life of Seti I and the mysterious circumstances that surrounded his death. Obviously he was murdered by one of his mistresses who had a forbidden affair with one of the Pharaohs high priests. The book was not very explicit regarding their punishment, it simply mentioned something called Hom Dai an old and terrible curse Lilly never heard about which only spurred her on. Soon enough she was once again captivated by a long forgotten piece of history.

  
Little did she know that it had never been forgotten and was still fresh in the minds of some people. Lucky for her she would never be able to find out for herself what horror and dread the Hom Dai was capable of. Unfortunately the creature which had been destroyed once and for all, just three years ago, was not the only menace that lurked in the shadows of Egypt's desert.

* * *

  
Friday evening came quicker than she liked but was exactly as she expected it to be. Stiff, boring and annoying. The food was good, the music drowsy and the guests were starting to get to her nerves. Mostly the women of course. There was the fraction in the high necked, good Catholic Church dresses who saw themselves as the bearer of true believers to the poor souls in this country.

  
The other half was dressed en vogue in low cut flimsy Grecian dresses and flashy jewels. A cocktail in one hand, a cigarette in the other. Their life goal obviously was too spend as much of their husband’s money as they could and try to life up the picture of a worldly woman.

  
Lilly was not sure which fraction she disliked more.

  
She herself was dressed in a simple but more befitting green Grecian dress, which left her shoulders and arms bare but covered enough skin to appear decent in the eyes of the native people. As guest in a foreign country Lilly considered it good manners to respect the local morals and customs, a sentiment that was not shared by many.

  
Half of the men were treating her like an air-head and tried to impress her with titles and adventures while the other half tried to lecture her. The topics reached form the dangers of being a woman in this uncivilised country, over her unmarried state up to the silly thought she could know something they did not. It was the latter that irked her the most.

  
She had left Germany to escape this kind of people only to find the paradise she had experienced as a child invaded by them. Most of her days she enjoyed her stay here but in situations like this she dreaded it as much as every social event her mother dragged her into.

  
Currently she had to listen to a man, who had introduced himself as Lord Humplebottom and somehow she had managed to not laugh outright into his face. After ten minutes listening to him the urge to laugh had made room for annoyance. He was trying to lecture her about King Tut and his tomb, first-hand information as he assured her, after all he and Howard Cater used to lunch now and then. Unfortunately he mixed up a few things, like the year Cater discovered the tomb, she also doubted that it was the curse that haunted and killed all the people who found their death shortly or not so shortly after the discovery. But Lord Humplebottom assured her that he himself once snatched a glimpse of a mysterious shadow that lurked behind Caters shoulder. That was the point where she decided to take her leave.

  
“Please forgive me the interruption Lord Humplebottom, but it looks as if Mr Masabni is in need of my assistance. Unfortunately I'm here for work,” she added with the sweetest smile she could manage and the required amount of regret in her voice and was relieved when her opponent hurried to assure her that he completely understood.

  
Lilly suppressed the urge to run and settled for a hurried but more appropriate pace instead. Without losing her smile she made her way through the crowd of people towards one of the balconies. They were on the first floor but it was not that height, maybe...

  
Don't be ridiculous, she told herself off. Two hours more and it would be socially acceptable if she took her leave. Maybe she could hide outside till then, at least for a little while.

  
She stepped outside without casting a look to either side and took a relived deep breath. It was late February and the temperatures during the night were cool but pleasant. She welcomed the mild breeze on her skin and closed her eyes, trying to blank out everything but the air on her skin and the scent of the flowers that adorned the balustrade. It was then, while she focused on her other senses, that she registered the sound beside her. Instantly her eyes snapped open and she turned around.

  
The museum was one of the few buildings in city that possessed outdoor lighting, so she had no problems to identify the source of the sound; it was a man.

  
But not just any man. It was the same man that appeared in her dreams since she was a little girl. Lilly could hear herself suck in a deep breath as she starred into a face that had not aged a day since the last time she saw it. The same dark hair, dark eyes and golden skin adorned with three tattoos. She could feel her knees grow weak. One moment she was nearly sinking to her knees and the next she felt strong arms holding her upright.

  
“It wasn't my intention to frighten you!” His voice was deep with a slight accent. Apparently he was quite distressed over her reaction. Under normal circumstance she would have been embarrassed about her wallflower behaviour but she was too shocked to care.

  
“Aden,” she whispered, nearly afraid he would vanish if she spoke to loud. As soon as the name left her mouth she could feel his hands on her tighten. He was near enough to see his eyes widen in shock and from one moment to the other the worry on his face vanished and a cautious look took its place.

  
“Who are you? How do you know that name?” Absently she noticed that his accent sickened and he was shaking her slightly.

  
“I'm Lilly, you...” Abruptly she stopped. Something was not right. It took her a moment to figure it out, but the outcome of her thoughts made a lot more sense than the alternative.

  
“Your tattoos...you are not Aden!” While the one on his forehead was just like she remembered, the other two...the warrior marks, those were different. Of course it was over a decade ago that she met the man who was the source of so many decisions she made in her life, but she had dreamed of him, drawn him and she was absolutely sure that his marks had been different.

  
The Medjai – she was fairly certain he was one, considering the mark on his forehead had loosened his grip on her arms but was not letting go completely. He was looking at her with a strange expression as if he was searching for some kind of answer, but finally he stepped back.

  
“No, I'm not. My name is Ardeth Bay, Aden was my father!”

  
Lilly nodded. Yes that made sense. More so than Aden being alive and looking like he did all those years ago. “You look a lot like him. I'm sorry I confounded you with him.” She mumbled lamely. She was not sure why she apologised.

  
“So I'm told.” He nodded, obviously familiar with that comment. “How is it that you know of my father?” He asked rather blunt, but Lilly could not blame him. The situation was odd. Both of them were staring at each other as if all their questions would be answered if they only starred hard enough.

  
He was dressed in a simple black robe that made it difficult to see much of him beside the fact that he possessed a strong build and it underlined the self-confidence and strength he was broadcasting in waves. Lilly was not easily intimidated, but she was sure he used to have that effect on most people. There was just something about him that made you want to take a step back and be careful not to anger him. Of course it had the opposite effect on her. When other people knew it was time to retreat, she would stride forward and say something she shouldn't.

  
But he was not trying to intimidate her and he had not grasped her to hurt her. He was simply shocked and surprised and he had every right to be. Here she was, a foreign white girl who knew of a man she never should have met. A girl who'd turned around and left, happy about her flashy gift.

  
“I met him when I was a little girl,” she finally answered, unsure about what to tell him exactly but settled for the truth in the end. “I was eight and hiding form my parents who wanted to return to Europe. I liked Egypt and thought of it as my home and I was determined to stay. So I was wandering aimlessly through the streets of Cairo when I met him, he...” Here she was unsure how to proceed. Should she tell him what she figured out through the years? Or stick to the view of the little girl she had been that day? All she knew about the man in front of her was his name and she really was not all that comfortable and willing to share everything.

  
Ardeth was simply waiting for her to go on. Obviously wanting to hear more but polite enough not to push her.

  
“Your father...he tried to cheer me up, told me I could return when I was older and that my goodbye needn't be forever. He even gave me a present.” Unconscious her hand wandered to her neck and found the medallion. She could feel the Anch resting between her breasts under her dress and was just about to fetch it to show him both when she heard loud voices from the inside.

  
At first she simply thought someone had one glass to many and was now making a scene or some poor servant spilled something on one of the fancy dresses, which would explain the high pitch shriek. But the next moment a man's voice, loud and barley articulate due to the heavy accent, could be heard about the raising noises.

  
“Quiet!”

  
“Quiet! Nothing will happen to you if you do as we say! Better not play the hero, or the next grave you will be visiting is your own!”

  
Lilly could not believe it. They were victims of a robbery!

  
She risked a quick lock to her side and nearly yelped as she noticed Ardeth, a scimitar in each hand and ready to battle. What was he going to do, run in there and fight for guts and glory?

  
Was he insane?

 

Ardeth                                                                               Lilly


	5. Chapter 3: Unexpected guests

Chapter three: Unexpected guests

_One week earlier:_

“What are we going to do, Ardeth?” Rashid, his second in command, asked him with a never weav-ing calmness in his voice. It was not the first time Ardeth envied him that inner calm. Rashid would have made an excellent chieftain, maybe a much better one than he was. And maybe one day he would be forced to take that place.

  
Though Ardeth was still young, he had no heir who would be able to take over his duties, in case of his death, which he had averted many times in the last few years. But Ardeth knew that he would be out of luck sooner or later and the elders were quite insistent to remind him of that, every time they got the chance.

  
“Do not forget your duty Ardeth! Though you've honoured the scared vow to our gods more times than a single man should in his lifetime, you should not forget the duty that you owe your clan. ”

  
They made it sound so easy and in their minds it probably was Ardeth thought grimly. It was not that he was short on options, he simply had no time for starting a family. At least that was what he told the elders. It was not a complete lie, considering the events of the last ten years. But the real reason why he had not taken a wife yet was that he wanted what his parents had shared. What O'Connell and Evie shared; Love.

  
Not the fleeting warm feeling he got while he looked at a pretty face or shared a first kiss. Not even the earth shattering feeling he found in the embrace of a woman at night. He wanted a woman whose spirit touched his, whose temper would keep him on his toes and whose passion would inflame his own. Ardeth wanted her to be loyal and trustworthy and he wanted her to be in love with him – Ardeth the man. Not the chieftain who would ensure her a comfortable life.

  
Until now he had not found such a woman and deep down he feared he never would.

  
So he pleaded other things in front of him and unfortunately there were enough things to worry about. After their victory over the Scorpion king and Imhotep he really thought the Medjai would be able to take a rest for a while. That he would be allowed to relax for a short time, but the gods had other plans. And who was he to question them?

  
Treasure hunters and tomb raiders were a common disturbance and reached back to the early days of the Pharaohs. But during the last two hundred years, western people took a shine to the tombs and temples of his people and their curiosity and persistence had been the cause of many disasters. Some possessed a pure heart and were simply seeking out Egypt's secrets due to their thirst of knowledge, others wanted to be part of something big for once in their life and many others were driven by greed. Lured by the promise of gold beyond imagination.

  
But they all presented a threat to the Medjai, regardless of their intention. Once upon a time they had been the Pharaohs personal guards, entrusted with the most dangerous secrets and the Medjai had not forgotten. They were still guarding what was not meant to be discovered and it was on him, chieftain of all twelve tribes, to assure their success.

Ardeth felt as if it was harder than ever to keep things hidden. They had lost a lot of people three years ago and the Medjai, once thousands in numbers, were barely more than a few hundred, most of them women. They had not the capacity to watch everyone and unsurprisingly it was now causing a problem.Western people were once again digging were they should not and searching for things they should have no knowledge of.

  
“We aren't sure what they are searching for but this men are no venturers who are digging for gold and a few trinkets. They have a goal.” Rashid reported visible uncomfortable with his lack of knowledge. Ardeth shared his feelings but knew that he could not do a lot about it at the moment.

  
“Do we know which temples they are interested in?”

  
“Unfortunately the right ones. It's quite possible that they shelter some of the old relics. But so much records got destroyed over the years that we can't be sure.”

  
Ardeth mused about Rashids words for a moment. His tribe was the keeper of many secrets and was supposed to protect the world from things most people dismissed as fairy tales. It was an honourable duty, but it was difficult enough to fulfil when they knew about the danger. Ardeth had no idea how they should protect the world from the things that got lost over the centuries.

  
“Tell the men not to interfere but simply watch. We wait – for now. But should they really find something, they can't be allowed to take it!” The situation reminded him too much of a similar one not so long ago. And he still remembered how that ended.

  
“I will do that. Will you be talking to Kahleb? In the note he send us he sounded very worried.”

  
“He's always worried,” Ardeth sighed. Kahleb Masabni was a well trusted friend but he tended to see things behind every corner. It was tiresome at times, but Ardeth was not in any position to allow arrogance to rule his actions. Much less ignorance. “But I will go to Cairo. At least it will give me the opportunity to learn more about the people who try to bring death upon us once again. Kahleb knows many and it might be to our advantage.”

  
“It might.” Rashid agreed again before he added after a moment of hesitation. “Do you believe they could possibly have knowledge about a lost secret?”  
Both of them made a sour face at the mention of that possibility.

  
“I don't know,” Ardeth shook his head sadly. “But I fear we will find out sooner or later.”

* * *

  
Ardeth had not been able to make it to Cairo until late on Friday. Unfortunately there was some sort of function at the museum and he had not been able to speak to Kahlib for longer than five minutes. His guests, all of them from the other half of the earth, were either looking at him as if they expected him to pull his scimitar and attack them, or wrinkled their nose in distaste. Ardeth had been confronted with that kind of attitude for most of his life, and though it still irked him deep inside he had learned to ignore it.

  
But he was not willing to be gaped at longer than necessary and quickly stepped out onto one of the balconies. For a moment he was thinking about leaving, it would not be difficult to climb down and leave without crossing that room again, but in the end he decided to wait. It was not as if he could do much else tonight.

  
He was not sure how long he was standing there, just watching the stars and thinking about the best way to handle some of the problems the Medjai where currently dealing with, when he heard someone rushing through the door. From his position he wasnot visible to anyone before they took a look around but was able to watch everyone.

  
The intruder was a woman. Young, pretty and obviously quite distressed. She had her eyes closed and was taking deep breathes which seemed to calm her down after a few minutes. The lines on her face softened and she was almost smiling now which made him wonder what she was thinking about.

  
He expected someone to come after her, but another minute passed by and nobody appeared while she simply stood there enjoying the light evening breeze without too much haste to go back inside.

  
Suddenly her eyes snapped open and she spun around. Ardeth realised that he had stepped nearer and the sound of it had startled her, though for the life of him he could not remember doing so.

  
The shocked expression on her face did not surprise him at first, he was used to it after all. But she turned awfully pale and started to sway on her legs, while she continued to stare at him with wide opened eyes. Cursing himself for startling her, he rushed over and grasped her arms to steady her, hoping she would not start screaming bloody murder. Or worse -faint!

  
“It wasn't my intention to frighten you!” He hurried to assure her but she just stared at him and then she said something that had his eyes widen in shock.  
Aden.

  
The name of his father on the lips of this unfamiliar woman was the last thing he expected tonight.

  
“Who are you? How do you know that name?” He demanded forcefully and though he noticed that he was shaking her he could not bring himself to stop. His father was a sore spot. He had been barley seventeen when Aden Bay died and at a private school in America at the time. It was over a month later that he was informed about his father’s death and when he finally got home there was nothing left of the man he had looked upon his whole life. Due to the heat and fear of diseases they burned their dead people. So there was not even a grave he could mourn over.

  
“I'm Lilly, you...” The woman stuttered shocked about his behaviour no doubt, but as abruptly as she started she suddenly stopped and frowned at him. “Your tattoos...you are not Aden!”

  
If he was confused before it was nothing compared to what he was feeling now. Who was this woman? Slowly he let go of her arms and stepped back while he starred intensely at her. She could not be much older than twenty, his father died fifteen years ago, so how was it possible that she knew him, even remembered his tattoos? Strength and loyalty.  
His own stood for courage and tenacity. Most people did not even look at him long enough to notice that the marks on his cheeks were not similar or that different men wore different tattoos.

  
“No, I'm not.” He finally answered her. “My name is Ardeth Bay, Aden was my father!”

  
The woman - Lilly nodded, as if she had figured out that much. “You look a lot like him. I'm sorry I confounded you with him.”

  
“So I'm told. How is it that you know of my father?”

  
If she was disturbed about the sudden sharpness in his voice she was not showing it. If he thought about it, she did not seem intimidated by him at all, only shocked to be confronted with a man who looked like a person she had probably met as a child.

  
She had neither backed away from him nor screamed for help while he had held her in his grip that alone made him even more curious about this woman.

  
“I met him when I was a little girl,” she suddenly answered but seemed unsure how to proceed. “I was eight and hiding form my parents who wanted to return to Europe. I liked Egypt and thought of it as my home and I was determined to stay. So I was wandering aimlessly through the streets of Cairo when I met him, he...”

  
Eight that made her twenty-three. It suddenly hit him that he assumed she met him during his last stay in Cairo which would make her one of the last persons who talked to his father before his death.

  
“Your father...he tried to cheer me up, told me I could return when I was older and that my goodbye needn't be forever. He even gave me a present.” The smile that appeared on her lips was soft and dreamlike as if she was reliving that moment in her head.

  
Ardeth blinked. Did she say, his father gave her a present? He was just about to ask her what he gifted her with, but before he could utter a world a loud shriek from the inside arouse his attention. His head snapped around, while his hands unconsciously wandered to the heft of his scimitars.

  
“Quiet!” A dark voice with a heavily accent barked which was only followed with more shrieks and frightened yelps.

  
“Quiet! Nothing will happen to you if you do as we say! Better not play the hero or the next grave you will be visiting is your own!”

  
Thieves!

  
Obviously his list of problems just got a little longer and somehow he had a bad feeling about this one.

* * *

  
Due to a few late night escapes from her boarding school, in search of adventure and teenage rebellion Lilly was not as unfamiliar with dangerous situations as one would think. In general she did not think herself a coward, but if her reckless adventures had taught her one thing it was that situations like this could end very ugly. She had no weapons and even if she was not sure how it would have helped her at the moment. The men, at least she guessed there was more than one, were obviously armed and had no qualms to use their weapons while she would probably shoot her own feet. So hiding out here seemed like a good idea. There was nothing she could do for the people inside and she had no wish to take part in this robbery more than she already had to.

  
Ardeth saw things different, no doubt. What was he going to do? Storm inside and hope they would run in fear or attack him with something other than a gun? He was alone and scimitars might be useful in an honourable one-on-one fight but quite useless in a situation like this.

  
After a minute he seemed to come to the same conclusion and it was not hard to notice that he was less than happy about it. The warrior in him probably did not appreciate a situation where he was forced to withdraw. Lilly was just happy that he belonged to the sort of men who used their brain and knew the difference between courage and stupidity.

  
But after a few minutes it dawned on her that there was no place to hide out here as long as the outdoor lightning was on and sure enough, as soon as the thought crossed her mind one of the thugs stepped through the door. And quicker than she could blink Ardeth had gripped the man by the hem of his dirty shirt and thrown him over the balustrade. Unfortunately the surprised man let out a terrified scream before he hit the ground and alerted his companions.

  
The next one who rushed through the door was hit with a mean right hook from the Medjai who had decided that his weapons would not do him any good at the moment. But this time he was not able to get a hold on his opponent to send him flying and the next second they were both looking down at the barrel of a gun.

  
Damn it to hell. She cursed her own inability to act, but now it was too late anyway.

  
_“Enough!”_ The man grunted and eyed them both warily before he focused on Ardeth. Of course the silly little woman could not be a thread to him. For that alone she wanted to punch him. Bastard!

  
_“Your weapons, toss them away!”_

  
Ardeth looked like he would rather poke his own eyes out than to part with his scimitars but in the end he followed the order.

  
_“Not so brave any more, Medjai scum are you?”_ The man laughed and spit in front of Ardeth. Lilly assumed he meant to hit him, but failed. Gross!

  
_“What are you doing here? Hiding outside with your whore?”_

  
The man was speaking in Arabic but obviously failed to notice form the murderous expression on her face that she could understand him perfectly clear.

  
_“If she is good enough for Medjai scum like you, maybe she and I will-”_

  
_“Abudl!”_ The loud bark form the man who had spoken first interrupted his disgusting speech and prevented her from doing something stupid. But, by God if he dared to touch her she would kill him. She shuddered at the thought of his filthy hands on her.

  
Abdul grunted unhappy about the interruption but whoever the other man was, he was clearly in charge and Abdul hurried to get them inside.

  
_“Get in. And don't try something stupid!”_

  
Ardeth looked at her before he quickly stepped behind her, so that he could shield her from anything Abdul may try. Lilly was thankful for it but at least Abduls suggestion managed to rip her out of her cationic state. Well, anger had to be good for something.

  
The sight that greeted her inside was not much of a surprise. Everyone was forced into a line while two of the thugs went from one to the other with a bag that was being filled with money, jewels and anything else that was of value. Most of the women were crying silently while the men did their best to act calm and unmoved. Some were stroking the backs of their wives and mumbling soothing words, others appeared as helpless as their counterparts.

  
The leader, a bulky man with a long scar across his right cheek arouse her attention, when he saw Ardeth stepping into the room beside her.

  
_“Medjai!”_ He spat and sounded as disgusted by the word as Abdul. In all likelihood the desert warrior was not very popular with rugs and thieves. The few books Lilly had found about them described them as the guardians of Egypt's treasures and secrets so she was not really surprised.

  
_“Where's Baqir?”_

  
Probably whimpering in agony from his first flight, seven feet below them.

  
_“I think the Medjai threw him over the banister!”_

  
For a moment Lilly feared the man would make use of his weapon but then the angry look vanished and a smeary smile appeared on his lips.

  
_“More for us!”_ He shrugged and from the sardonic laughter, the other four men agreed with him. Lilly tried to keep an eye on each of them but with Abdul behind her and two of them rushing from one terrified person to the next it wasn't easy.

  
Scarface had not taken his eyes of Ardeth and was slowly coming nearer, till he was standing directly in front of them. He grinned at the Medjai at her side, a dirty nasty grin that promised nothing good, before he simply punched him. She jumped in surprise while Ardeth leaned over in pain but did not make a sound. Obviously Scarface was not too happy about that and punched him again, this time Ardeth did groan and Lilly's protective instincts sprang into action before she could stop herself. Or use her brain!

  
_“Leave him alone, you coward!”_ She cried and the next second she was standing in front of the panting Medjai. The moment the words left her mouth, she knew what was coming but it was too late to prevent the inevitable from happening. The back of his hand hit her square across her face and for a second Lilly could actually see stars in front of her.

  
Ardeth yelled out something she could not understand but she heard him hitting the floor the next moment. She wanted to look but Scarface's hand had grasped her yaw and turned her forcefully in his direction. Her hair was falling in tumbles down her face, detached form the careful nod she had fixed them into this evening, and blocking a good part of her view.

  
But she could see enough of his face to let her know that he was not amused by her act of heroism.

  
_“Trying to defend your lover?”_ He snickered while he tighten the grip he had on her. She could hear the scandalised gasped from the other guests in the background, though she guessed it had more to do with the way Scarface was treating her than the way he was talking about her. Beside Kahleb and Ardeth there were not many that could understand Arabic.

  
_“But I think I can see what draws him to you. Feisty!”_

  
What was it with this men who were all trying to impute her being a whore? Lilly choked down the urge to hit him where it would really hurt and just stared angrily at him. That only had him laughing and the next moment he let go of her. She stumbled one or two steps back before she found her balance again. Her face burned and her legs felt shaky but she managed to put herself together.

  
_“Your jewellery if you please!”_ He invited her with one of his smeary smiles and a fake sweet voice. Grudgingly she took out her earnings and the small gold bracelet she got from her father a few years ago and handed them over to him.

  
_“All of it!”_ He barked and her fingers flew automatically towards her medallion. There was no way in hell she was giving it up. Her eyes took a quick side glance in Ardeths direction, he was still kneeling and looked as if he wanted to jump between her and Scarface but Abdul prevented him from going anywhere. At least the gun at the back of his head did.

  
“No!” She whispered. Lilly knew it was stupid and utterly suicidal but she just could not bring herself to give up the medallion.

  
Later she would tell herself that it might have been their luck that she had lost every ounce of self-protection in that moment, but it was stupid none the less. Scarface made a pass at her again, but this time she was quicker. In a fluent motion she avoided his hand and her own fist landed with a nauseating crack on his nose. The shrieks around her and his surprised face that quickly turned into a furious mask were the last things she remembered, before she made the acquaintance of his fist for the second time in five minutes.

  
But this time her world turned dark.

 

 

Cairo around 1930


	6. Chapter 4: Sharing a memory

Chapter four: Sharing a memory

The first thing Lilly noticed when she opened her eyes was the bright sunlight. Blinking she tried to adjust her eyes. Her head hurt like hell, which was probably a good sigh. You had to be alive to feel pain, right? Groggily she tried to fight the thin blanket which covered her down.

  
“You are awake.”

  
The unexpected voice had her sitting upright with a surprised yelp.

  
“God, don't do that!” She gasped and glared at Ardeth who was sitting beside the window, across the room. With a quick glance around she realised that she was sitting on a bed. Her bed, in her house! That realisation had her sitting straighter.

  
“How did we get here?”

  
For a second Lilly caught an embarrassed expression on his features but he covered it quickly and walked over to her side.

  
“How are you feeling Miss Blackmoor?”

  
“Lilly.” She corrected him automatically, but frowned. She never told him her full name and how the hell did he know where she lived? Slowly she touched her face but winced as soon as her fingers made contact. “I'm fine.” That probably did not sound very convincing but whining would not change anything.

  
“What about you? What happened after...he knocked me out?”

  
A noise that sounded like an odd mix between a growl and a sigh suddenly filled the room and Lilly needed a moment to realise that it came from Ardeths chest. She was not sure if he was angry because scarface knocked her out or because of what happened afterwards. Whatever it was, it still had him in a dark mood.

  
“You shouldn't have opposed him,” Ardeth told her sternly. “It was brave but imprudent.”

  
She glared at him. “And trying to overwhelm them alone wasn't?”

  
“That's different!”

  
“Why? Because you are a man?”

  
“Yes!”

  
If looks could kill, Ardeth Bay would be nothing more than a pile of smoking dust on her floor. She fisted her hands in an attempt to suppress her anger, but without much success.

  
“And because I'm a woman I've no right to defend what's mine? I have to stay deedless and let some smeary little thug manhandle me and the people around?” By now she was standing beside the bed, hissing and spitting like an angry cat and for a moment the Medjai in front of her looked like he had a hard time to restrain his own temper. But as quickly as the storm clouded his face it vanished and he looked nearly remorseful.

  
“I apologise. But where I come from, women are treated with respect and gratitude. They are the heart and soul of our tribes. It's them who raise the children, look after us and give us strength. It's only fair that we are in charge of fighting and defending.” And just like that he took the winds out of her sails.

  
“It's not that I doubt your determination to fight, I just think you shouldn't have to.” In that moment Lilly realised it was not her he was angry with, but himself.

  
Sighing she sunk back on the bed. “It's not your fault.”

  
“I know,” he admitted but that knowledge did not help him feel any better that much she could see. Then something else crossed her mind.

  
“Why are you still here?” Realising how rude she must sound she hastily added “I mean not that I'm not thankful that you brought me here and looked after me but...but...”

Great! She sounded like a babbling airhead. “I'm sure you've got a lot of important things to do, so I'm just curious why you sit here with me instead.” She hoped like hell that the warm tickling feeling in her cheeks was the result of her bruising and not because of a blush.

  
The light twitching of Ardeths lips did not let her get her hopes up though.

  
Great! Just great! He must think her to be a complete moron.

  
“You were telling me about my father before we were interrupted. I would like to hear the entire story if you would be willing to share it.”

  
Oh right Aden, of course he was not here because of her. It was completely understandable so she was not sure why she felt slightly annoyed by his answer. But before she could muse about it any longer another thought stuck her. Her medallion!

  
Her hands flew to the spot around her neck, where the charm usually rested but none to surprisingly she found nothing. Scareface obviously taken it after he knocked her out.  
Adens gift, her fiercely loved medallion, was gone. After all this years in which she had guarded it carefully and treasured the memories she linked with it, it was lost. It seemed silly, after all it was just a piece of jewellery, and the robbery could have cost her far more than that, but at that moment the loss of the gem hurt far more than the punch in her face.

  
“It's gone!” And even against her best intention she could not hold back the tears that rushed down her face.

* * *

  
Ardeth starred at the woman in front of him, much like he had done since he had brought her here. After everything that happened in the museum, Ardeth deemed it best not to stay there longer than necessary. The police was called and it was an open secret that there was no love lost between them and the Medjai. So he left as quickly as he could, but he could not and would not leave the mysterious woman behind. She had wanted to show him something his father had gifted her with and deep down inside he feared that he already knew what it was.

  
The day his father died he was not alone. His best friend and second in command Zahid, Rasul's father, had been by his side. At least until they had attacked the foreigners and tried to pilfer something that should never have found its way into the possession of someone not born into his tribe.

  
Zahid who had survived the encounter with the trigger happy Europeans, though barely, had told the elders about their discovery. Obviously his farther had been convinced that the medallion was that of Hatschepsut, Great Queen of Egypt and keeper of The One who shall never rise again.

  
No Medjai alive had ever seen the gem with his own eyes, as it had been lost for more than seven hundred years. A half destroyed scroll, with a detailed drawing and a warning was all that was left in their possession.

  
Till this day nobody knew for sure if Aden had been right but Lilly's talk about a gift and her stubborn refusal to give it up left him with a mix of fear and relief. If the medallion really was what he assumed, his father’s death would not have been in vain. Even deadly wounded he had managed to guard Egypt from the evil that still summered deep down under its surface. Somehow that knowledge weakened the pain he felt at his loss a bit.

  
Unfortunately Ardeth had managed to lose the gem the moment he found it. And if that was not bad enough in itself, he was confronted with a crying woman. Miss Blackmoore did not stuck him as the emotional type who was easily brought to tears which made the display all the more disturbing.

  
He had witnessed how she stood up to the thugs in the museum, even punched the leader square in the face when he tried to slap her. Ardeth simply had no idea what he should do! Crying women made him uncomfortable, way more than he was ready to admit.

  
“Miss Blackmoor...” he started hesitantly but she did not hear him. “Lilly....” His second attempt seemed as fruitless as the first but before he could try a third time Lilly's teary eyes turned dark and furious. She was still crying but now it was out of anger rather than grief he noticed and nearly sighed with relief. He would take anger over grief any day. Ardeth knew how to handle anger.

  
“This filthy, slimly little cockroach I should have done more than simply break his nose!” The woman in front of him hissed in a dangerous voice. “If I get my hands on him he will wish -” from there on she switched into a language he could not understand. It sounded aggressive, rash and fitted perfectly with her rude hand gestures she made. For the moment she seemed to have forgotten his presence which gave him once again the opportunity to observe her.

  
The person in front of him had little in common with the peaceful slumbering woman he had watched over since he left the museum. In her sleep she had almost looked angelic with her delicate features, creamy skin and silky auburn hair which spread around her head like a halo. There was no denying that she was beautiful and so very different form the women around here, but also very fragile...at least when she was unconscious. At the moment she reminded him more of a tiger that roamed the length of its cage than a fragile girl.

  
She was still dressed in her evening robe but it had stopped to appear elegant around the time she broke the thug’s nose and it got sprinkled with blood. By now it was crinkled, spotted and partly ruined. Her hair was tousled and whipped animatedly around her head while she paced cursing up and down the room.

  
Despite the situation he found himself amused by her heated rant and could not help but admire her fiery spirit. For a few minutes he just sat back and enjoyed her little temper tantrum before he remembered once again why he was here in the first place.

  
“The medallion,” Ardeth started as soon as she had calmed down a bit. “Is it the gift my father left you?”

  
The question calmed her down almost instantly. Gone was the heated look in her eyes and all that remained was a deep sadness as she sunk down on the bed again. But was it the loss of her gem or the memory of his father that saddened her so? He intended to find out.

  
“Yes, it was something like a...like a parting gift.”

  
“Parting gift?”

  
“Well...” She mumbled and for a second Ardeth was sure he saw a faint blush in her cheeks. “The time we spend together was short. Only minutes. Looking back it seems odd that a stranger would gift a little girl with something so rare and beautiful, but I was just that – a little girl.” Sighing she sat down on the bed again. “I don't know how often I relieved that memory I have of your father, but by now I'm pretty sure he wasn't...well. I believe that was why he gave it to me.”

  
She seemed rather uncomfortable with the subject and Ardeth guessed he understood why. As a girl she must have been overwhelmed with her gift without paying much attention to other things, but the woman in front of him realised that something had been very wrong with his father and now felt guilty about walking away.

  
“He was mortally wounded.” He told her softly. Trying not to sound reproachful. Lilly sucked in her breath sharply, but a look at her face showed him that she was not really surprised just guilt ridden.

  
“I doubt there was something you could have done to help him.” He tried to sooth her but without much success.

  
“But I left him. I took his gift and simply left him. He told me to go and I just did!” Ardeth was unsure how to respond. His farther had easily radiated authority and people randomly hesitated to do as he said, himself included. So it was no wonder she did the same, although a very small part of him wondered what would have happened if she had noticed something was amiss.

  
She probably would have tried to find help and would have lead the foreigners to his father. And they would have noticed the medallion around her neck....

  
“The medallion...can you describe it?”

  
Blinking she looked at him as if he had just ask her the most stupid question. “I can do better than that. Wait a moment!” And without another word she jumped up and rushed out of the room. Ardeth hesitated but finally decided to follow her and found her in the little room across form her bedroom which undoubtedly was used as her study.

  
A massive book shelf was filled with countess old tomes, scrolls and loose slips of paper. Various framed paintings leant against the wall, pottery and multiple other items out of ivory, stone, gold and different gemstones were carefully arranged on a long wooden table. Other than that only a heavy wooden desk and a used looking leather chair occupied the room. He was no expert on this but for a woman's office it somehow lacked the comfortable and homey atmosphere one would expect, her whole home did for that matter. Not that he was familiar with homes of other women that he could compare Lilly's, but when he thought of Evy's and Ricks home he automatically remembered the warm and welcoming atmosphere their home radiated. Which no doubt was Evelyn's doing, considering Rick's idea of a home decoration would probably consider a big target to practise his knives throwing skills. But Evy used lots of colours, carpets, framed photos, candles and other useless but charming trinkets to make their home inviting.

  
From the material of her clothes and the size of her house, Ardeth knew that Lillys lack of furnisher had nothing to do with her financial status. The things she possessed were of good quality, but fulfilled a necessary need. The only things that seemed to reflect the person that lived here were the artefacts she was studying and the framed photograph on her desk. But before he could take a better look at it, Lilly turned back to him with a paper in her hand, which had been hidden somewhere in her desk.

  
“Here...” she took an unsure step in his direction and handed him the paper. Ardeth swallowed heavily as he starred at it. For a moment he actually thought his eyes would play him a trick. Could it really be? The very thing they had searched for, for endless years and was the source of many sorrowful sleepless nights?

  
It was a very good sketch of the medallion. Two in fact. One showed the gem closed. The oval lid was mostly covered with an Anch and all in all it looked remarkably unspectacular. It was the second picture that caught his eyes. Sekhmets lion head was artfully detailed and appeared to glare at the beholder through red glittering eyes. The hair of her mane flooded around the head in angry waves which gave the impression that they were alive. It was only on a second look that he noticed the hieroglyphs which framed the portray of the goddess. Frowning he starred at them. As the leader of the Madjai he was familiar with a lot of the old and long forgotten glyphs, but he was not able to decipher these.

  
He was tempted to ask her if she copied them right, but decided that someone who was able to draw a picture with so much depth and detail would not mess up with something like that.

  
“The medallion was made of gold and the Anch on the front lid from a dark stone, probably opal or obsidian,” Lilly suddenly spoke up and ripped him from his musings.

  
“I suspect the lion represents Sekhmet, Hathors more violent self. She is supposed to be the defender of the Pharaohs and known to mercilessly destroy his enemies.” Surprised by her knowledge of his ancient gods he looked at her.

  
“That is right!” There was more to the history of this goddess but he saw no need to provide the information. The less she knew the less danger she was in. Unfortunately he suspected her to know quite a lot. Much like Evelyn she stroked him as a woman of knowledge and intelligence. And probably curiosity. He remembered what Evy's curiosity had caused and winced inwardly. It would be best if he gathered as much information as possible and leave to find the thieves. After seeing the picture, he had no doubts that the medallion had indeed been that of Hatshepsut.

  
“Her eyes were made of rubies but I'm not sure what material they used for the hair of her mane. Flax maybe, though I find it hard to believe they would use something so cheap in a medallion like that.”

  
Intelligent woman, like he suspected.

  
“Sadly I wasn't able to translate the hieroglyphs. My ancient Egyptian is fairly fluid and my father’s books cover even more ancient languages but I was not even able to narrow down the dynasty it must be from.” The more she talked about the subject the more excited she became he noticed. “I tried to find a lead in the library at the museum, but no such luck. Do you have any idea what they could mean?”

  
Her eyes were practical gleaming with anticipation and Ardeth was nearly sorry that he could not answer her question. It was a good thing he was clueless himself, otherwise he might have been tempted to tell her. She was tempting, even in her tattered clothes and messy hair.

  
“No, it's old. Too old to be remembered.” Which was a good thing.

  
The smile on her face fell. “Oh, well...”

  
“I should go.” Inwardly wincing he noticed as the gleam in her eyes vanished, like the smile. He had the impression that she never had the opportunity to speak about his farther and the medallion and now was eager to share the memory. But Ardeth knew it was time that he left. Her evening had already been stressful enough, and his presence in her house would sooner or later bring problems for her. She was a white, rich European Lady and he the leader of the Medjai.

  
Trouble followed him and she did deserve better.

  
“I must leave now,” he repeated and this time didn't feel bad about it. It was for the best. “Could I keep this?”

  
For a moment she looked as if she wanted to argue, but something changed her mind and she simply nodded her head. “Of course.” Abruptly she turned around and towards the door, obviously to see him out. Folding the paper he silently followed her. Ardeth knew it was stupid, but the moment she opened her front door, he felt surprisingly reluctant to walk through it.

  
Probably because she had been the person his father had shared his last moments with. There were still things he wanted to ask her, but he realised that now was not the time for it. Somehow he had to find the man who had stolen the medallion tonight. Otherwise his father’s sacrifice would have been in vain.

  
Clearing his throat he tried to get her attention. “Maybe one day we could talk again? About my father?”

  
The mention of his father brought a soft smile on her lips and Ardeth asked himself, not for the first time, how his father managed to do it. Even dead he managed to charm women, something Ardeth himself never seemed to accomplish.

  
“Yes, maybe one day we could.”


	7. Chapter 5: Kismet

Chapter five: Kismet

Lilly stared at the closed door and sighed long and deep. As soon as he entered her life, Ardeth was gone. Just like his father. But unlike Aden she had the chance to see his son again, eventually. Hopefully...ah, don't even think about it, Lilly.

  
It had felt so good to finally talk to someone about what happened all those years ago. She had been punished already for running away (house arrest for the remaining two days in Egypt under the watchful eyes of her mother – it had been hell) and telling her parents that she had not only talked to a stranger but accepted a gift from him would have made it worse. She would have been forced to give up the medallion and she could not do that. So Aden had become her secret.

  
Over the years there had been times when she would have liked to talk about it, but she had never been that close to anyone. Except her farther, who would have been the only one with enough knowledge about Egyptian culture anyway. Maybe he would have recognised the hieroglyphs.

  
Well, maybe not. If Ardeth, a warrior of the Medjai, did not know how should her farther? Suddenly a thought stuck her. What if Ardeth had lied to her? Did he really not recognise the signs or did he not want her to know about the inscription?

  
In retrospect she realised that he had been rather interested in the medallion. It should not surprise her too much, after all it once belonged to his farther. Had she still been in possession of it, she would have given it to him, as hard as it would have been. It would have been the right thing to do. Something to remember him by.

  
But it seemed odd, that he had been more interested in some piece of jewellery than what his farther had been talking about in his last moments. He even asked her to keep the sketch.

  
Frowning she starred at the door and could feel a headache starting behind her eyes. She was seeing things that were not there.  
You are just mad that he left.

  
Angry at herself she turned around and stomped back into her bedroom. She was in urgent need of a warm bath and some comfortable, clean clothes. Looking down at her tattered robe she decided that it was ruined beyond repair. Carelessly she opened the fastenings on her dress and let it flutter to the floor. Next came her undergarments, but the odd feeling of something gliding down her skin made her halt in her movements. Looking down her eyes went wide when she noticed the source for it. Safely nestled between her breasts laid the Anch. Blinking rather stupidly at her own chest, she needed a moment to realise that her eyes were not playing tricks to her.

  
Carefully Lilly reached for the gem. The chain she had put it on was nowhere to be found and was probably split into a half when Scareface ripped the medallion from her neck.  
It took her a moment to realise that she was not imagine things and slowly she could feel the smile spreading over her lips. Excitement flowed through her and her first instinct was to run to Ardeth and tell him that not everything was lost, but as quickly as the feeling hit her it left. She had no idea where Ardeth had gone, for all she knew he might live somewhere deep in the desert where she had no way to find him. Least of all when he did not want to be found.

  
After the first wave of disappointment left her, anger bubbled up in her. She was not exactly sure whom her anger was directed at, but it pushed the pathetic felling of sadness and insecurity aside. Pressing her lips into a thin line she came to a decision. She did not need some Medjai warrior and she was not allowing some filthy thug to steal her precious medallion.

  
Oh no, she would get it back, one way or the other.

* * *

  
Two days later with a good dent in her pocket, thanks to a lot of bribery, she found herself in front of a battered cabin in one of the more dangerous parts of Cairo. The kind where a woman, a foreign no less, had no business to be if she was interested in her health.

  
Hence her silly attempt of dress up. The shabby robe and turban that disguised her face, which she had purchased on a little side stand on her way here, smelled of sweat and tobacco. A mix that made her eyes water worse than any onion. But it fulfilled its purpose, as nobody paid her much attention.

  
Her determination to get her medallion back had brought her into contact with a lot of seedy individuals, but in the end it was worth it. One of her new acquaintance was indeed able – for the right amount of money – to identify Scarface.

  
His name was Mustafa Farouq and obviously he was no stranger in Cairo's underworld and well feared for his nefariousness. Blackmail, robbery, abduction, murder. As long as you paid him for it, he was your man for any dirty business.

  
But that information left her with the question if the robbery was his own idea or an assignment.

  
After she found out his name, it wasn't too hard to get a lead on him but now that she was here, in front of the seedy looking café he used to spend his afternoons in, she wasn't sure how to proceed. Should she go in? Mingle with the locals? Wait till he left and follow him?

  
Before she could come to a decision though, a familiar face caught her eyes. Blinking in surprise she starred at him. In his flawless suit and shiny black shoes he appeared completely out of place and from the disgusted sneer on his face one could tell, that he was not overly happy to be here. Speechlessly she watched as none other than Baron Wilhelm Weißenburg passed her by and walked into the café, she had been watching.

* * *

  
Ardeth was annoyed. The two days he had been searching for the men who had robbed them at the museum had not been easy for him. It had not been hard to find out who was behind it. Mustafa Farouq was not easy to forget and a well-known name in certain circles. Unfortunately he had good connections and a lot of henchmen who were not too fond of the Medjai. Twice he had been lead into a trap and the second time it had been pure luck that he made it out alive.

  
Absently rubbing his bruised rips he walked down the busy street where Farouq could supposedly be found. Ardeth could only hope that this time would end more to his favour. It took him longer than he expected to find the seedy little local that he was looking for.

  
The cabin was small and shabby. The wall was crumbling on so many places that it was a wonder it was still standing. The letters on the name tag were weather beaten and barely visible; Kismet.

  
Had he known about the events that had been sent into motion, right at this moment Ardeth would not have laughed about the name but taken it as a warning. At least he could have seen the irony in it.

  
It was early afternoon and most people were still trying to find shelter from the burning sun, inside the cooler buildings or at least under one of the many linen clothed awnings which lined the streets. Men could be heard talking to each other, while drinking tea or playing a game of dice. Clapping noises from the insides filled the hot and humid air every now and then as well as the bark of a dog. Nothing unusual, given the time of the day. One or two hours later an entirely different scene would play out before him.

  
It probably would have been better to wait and use the hectic and noisy late afternoon activities to mingle with the people and be less conspicuous, but Ardeth was getting impatient.

  
Unconscious the fingers of his left hand touched the piece of paper he had safely placed inside his pocket. After he had seen the sketch there had been little doubt left inside his mind that it was indeed the lost medallion of Hatshepsut. And if the legend that was passed from father to son in his tribe was true he had to set heaven and hell into motion to get it back.

  
A cold shiver rushed down his back, as he thought about what could happen if it found its way into the wrong hands.

  
Like the hands of a ruthless thug! Grimacing on the thought he tried to ease his mind with the fact that Farouq probably had no idea what treasure he had captured. If he or anyone else with ill meanings would gather knowledge about its true purpose, Imhoteps raising would look like a harmless childsplay, should they ever dare to use it.

  
Pushing his fears aside for the moment he concentrated on what was before him. He had to find Farouq and somehow find a way to get the medallion back. Unfortunately he was not even sure if the man was still in possession of it. Two days had passed since the robbery and it was not unlikely that he had already made money out of the jewellery. If that was the case it would be hard to find the monger, even if Farouq was willing to give up the name and somehow Ardeth doubted that he would open his mouth willingly except to insult him.

  
Gritting his teeth in frustration he looked around. There were only three shabby men in front of the café. Two playing dice directly beside the door while the third one leaning against the wall, near one of the small windows. Maybe waiting, maybe sleeping.

  
Unsure how to proceed, Ardeth halted in his steps. Before he could come to a decision though another person appeared at the scene.

  
Other as Lilly, Ardeth did not recognise the man itself, but the perfect fit of his clothes, the shiny handle of his cane and his much too light colour of his skin forced everybody to take notice. What could a rich, white man possibly want in a place like this? Ardeth had his doubts that he would like the answer to that.

  
Wearily he watched as the man disappeared inside the Kismet and decided to wait and observe for the moment.

* * *

  
Wilhelm von Weißenburg barley contained the sneer that wanted to break out on his face. But a man of his standing in society was raised better than to show his feelings in public. Regardless of the circumstance. So instead of showing the disgust he really felt he forced his face into a mask of indifference, while he walked down the filthy street toward café his acquaintance used for his meetings.

  
As far as he was concerned this meeting could not be over soon enough. He was not anxious to spend more time with this thugs as absolutely necessary. He already regretted that he had to rely on his help. Wilhelm shuddered inwardly as he remembered Miss Blackmoore being punched unconscious during the robbery. Such brutality. But what could one expect from someone as Mustafa Farouq?

  
Wilhelm knew this type of men. Barley more than animals in his opinion but unfortunately necessary to get a special kind of work done.

  
Without much further ado he walked into the shabby café and tried to ignore the guests inside as much as possible. He had seen enough of them the first time he visited this establishment and did not need a fresh reminder of how filthy and seedy everyone appeared. Unfortunately there was not much he could do against the smell. More reason to hurry things up.

  
Using his cane to push the motley curtain aside he stepped into the back room. Nobody dared to stop him like the first time he was here. Well, money had that kind of power and fortunately he was quite loaded. In truth he had everything a man could wish for. He was good looking, for a man that had trepassed the youth of life some decades ago, educated and he possessed more money than even the beautiful airhead, he called a wife could spend in a dozen lifetimes. But what he really craved for was power. Quite and simple. And if everything worked out the way he hoped, he would hold more power in his hands than anyone in over three thousand years had ever seen, pretty soon.

  
He would triumph where Caesar, Alexander the Great and Napoleon failed to succeed. Allowedly had they known what he knew today, they might have found what they had been looking for but Wilhelm liked to think that destiny had a plan and there was a reason why no one had been able to find the source of power until now. Like his father before him, he was convinced that it was his family that was bound to find and use it.

  
When his ancestor Ulrich Casper, later on known as Ulrich Casper Freiherr von Weißenburg, found the medallion in the Egyptian desert after the Templar lost the crusade against Egypt it was not only by change – no it was divine revelation!

  
The medallion was meant to be used by his family and had it not been for this filthy thief fourteen years ago, he would have reached his goal long before now. Wilhelm still seethed in anger when he remembered the happenings of that fateful day. For long years he deemed the precious gem lost, but luck (or divine guidance) was on his side.

  
Three years had passed since he was able to make out the location of the medallion. Years of failed attempts to get it back and frustratingly incapable henchman and family members.

  
But today that would finally change. Today everything would fall back into its natural state. Just as it should be, with him on top of the food chain.

  
It was that knowledge, which made it easy for him to return the smeary smile that spread around Mustafa Farouq's lips as he noticed him.

  
“Ah, Wilhelm my friend,” the thug, who was casual leaning against a wall, drawled out with a heavy accent. Farouq made a sign with his hand, that he should follow him into the backroom where they would be undisturbed, while he continued to talk.

  
“Two days have passed and you didn't visit old Mustafa. I almost feared something happened to you!” The following laugh matched the fake concern perfectly and Wilhelm was more determined than ever to leave as quickly as possible.

  
“Fortunately I survived a brutal robbery a few days ago without being harmed. Not all guests were as lucky as I though.” Farouq was not so thick that he did not understand the meaning of those words.

  
“The filthy Medjai had-”

  
“I'm not talking about the Medjai,” Wilhelm interrupted him snidely. The desert warrior could have died a long painful death that night, for all he cared. After all it was his people that stole the medallion form his family. “I'm speaking about Miss Blackmoore. There was no need to treat her like you did.”

  
“The feisty redhead? That one was obviously in need of a good trashing. Don't you teach your women their place? And must I remind you that it was you, who wanted her jewellery?”

  
For a moment he was tempted to tell him where he thought his place was in hisopinion, but in the end he thought better of it. Unwilling to spend more time than necessary in this place he let that comment slide and concentrate on the reason of his visit.

  
“So the medallion...do you have it?”

  
“Of course, I'm a man of my word.”

  
Wilhelm wanted to snot at that but knew better. Instead he kept silent, not willing to play further games and just like he hoped Farouq finally gave in.  
Five minutes later money and jewellery changed hands and both men turned their own way with a happy smile on their face.

* * *

  
It felt like an eternity had passed since Baron Weißenburg had entered the cafe. Patience was not one of her strong traits and slowly she was getting nervous. What should she do? Could she risk going inside? No, too dangerous. There was always the possibility that Farouq or Baron Weißenburg would recognize her and then...well she preferred not to think about it. Otherwise she would seriously doubt her sanity, considering her current situation she probably should do so regardless.

  
Endless minutes later the well-dressed Baron finally left the cafe, obviously happy with whatever happened inside. He was whistling a happy little melody while he swung his cane zestful beside him with every step. Lilly hesitated for a short moment before she decided to follow him. Whatever business had transferred inside the local, she was sure that she would get more answers from the aristocrat then from Scarface.

  
The streets were still mostly empty due to the burning sun, which made it difficult to follow him undiscovered. But not impossible. She was getting better at keeping a low profile, in contrast to...

  
Lilly nearly stumbled over her own feed as she noticed another person following Baron Weißenburg, which had just rounded a corner and was now heading into a friendlier part of town. The man who was quickly changing direction to follow the aristocrat was hard to ignore. And even harder to forget.

  
The split moment she had been able to see his face was enough affirm her suspicion. None other than Ardeth Bay in the flesh, imposing and striking as ever, rushed around the corner after the Austrian, obviously not very worried about being recognized. Either he was very brave or very stupid, at the moment Lilly feared it was the latter.

  
Cursing silently Lilly broke into a short run to round the stone wall into the next street, so that she would not lose track of them. She was neither willing to let Wilhelm get away nor let Ardeth come out on top of her after all the work she'd done. The medallion was her and she was going to get it back! She'd just crossed the street and was barely three feet away from the corner when a loud bang disrupted the air. What was that?

  
It took her a moment of utter stupor before her brain finally screamed the answer at her.

  
Shot! Gun!

  
Someone had fired a gun. In less than a second she was around the corner and nearly screamed at the scene she was confronted with.

  
Ardeth Bay laid motionless on the ground!

 


	8. Chapter 6: Hidden in plain sight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Egyptian Mythology is, like all the others, very colorful and epic. There are many different visions of one and the same story. I read every vision I could find about those myths that take part in this fic. In the end I adopted the vision that would fit best with my plot, but sometimes I created a wild mix of everything I've read, so don't be suprised if you might have heard a different vision.
> 
> How did women act during 1935? I admit I've some difficulties with that. Of course there are countless web sides about it but they aren't really satisfying. I know women had much more liberties before WWII, but certainly not as much as today.  
> I'm doing my best to discribe Lilly as a strong woman with modern ideas without overdoing it. In my opinion she can act a lot more freely as others because of her money, but it's still difficult not to overdo it. Specially when it comes to her and Ardeths (very) slowly developing relationship.  
> So please forgive me if you think I've got it all wrong.

Chapter six: Hidden in plain sight

The first thing he noticed when he opened his eyes was an aching throbbing on the left side of his chest. Confused and still drowsy his right hand swept over his upper body to find the source for his discomfort. The sharp pain that went through him when his fingers made contact with a certain spot swept even the last weariness away.

  
With a curse that would have earned him a slap to his head form his mother, regardless of his age, he sat up with some difficulties and starred at his chest which was naked apart from a thick with linen bandage. Rubbing lightly over the part that was itching the most he was relieved to notice that the rest of him was covered by a brightly coloured blanket. Starring at it he was hit with a feeling of deja-vu.

  
Curiously his eyes swept through the room and the feeling increased, but his brain needed a moment to remember why it all felt so familiar. Then it hit him, he was in the same bedroom he had watched over the unconscious Lilly Blackmoor a few days prior. But how did he get here this time? Frowning he tried to remember but before he could really make an effort the door was pushed open.

  
“Oh you are awake!” Lilly sounded surprised but notably relieved as she hurriedly rushed to his side. “You shouldn’t sit like this, it will put unnecessary pressure to your wound.” She tried to push him backwards but he refused.

  
“What happened? How did I get here?”

  
With a frown she finally stopped her attempts to push him back and sat down on the edge of the bed directly beside him. While she did not seem affected by their close proximity at all, Ardeth was highly aware of her next to his barley clad body. A light scent of jasmine flowers that always seemed to tingle in the air around her reached his nose and he felt strangely comforted by it.

  
“You don’t remember?” Shaking his head, though it was not exactly true he waited for her to fill the gaping holes in his memory.

  
“I was following the Baron after his meeting with that disgusting individual who stole my medallion. Obviously great minds think alike because apparently you had the same bright idea. I noticed you a few feet away from me, just as you rounded the corner.”

  
As she spoke the memories in his head became clearer. Yes, now he remembered his efforts to locate Farouq and the posh looking older gentleman. He followed him after he left the Kismet that was true but he could not remember seeing Lilly anywhere near. With her dark auburn hair and fair skin she was not hard to miss, especially in a dangerous district like the one he had been at.

  
“I don’t know what happened because I had to cross the street and round the corner first, but I heard the shot of a gun and started running. When I found you, you were lying on the ground bleeding from a wound in your chest.”

  
Instinctively he looked down but was once again met with the white linen bandage. Blinking he tried to remember the incident, but there were only blurry images of the old man with a sneer on his face and a black long cane in his hands. He could recall an intense pain in his chest but nothing more. So the bastard shot him!

  
Clearing his throat he looked at the woman beside him. “Obviously I owe you my life.”

  
“The wound wasn't fatal,” she shrugged nonchalantly. “And thank god for that. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to find a doctor who is willing to treat a Medjai and keep his mouth shut about it?” She paused for a moment. “Well, given how long it took me I guess you were in a critical state when I finally...um convinced that snotty man who declared himself a doctor to help you.”

  
Ardeth almost smiled at that. He had seen her making a point and it had looked very painful. He could only imagine what she did to convince the man to look after him. His face fell as he realised that it probably cost her a small fortune. Like she said, it was hard to find someone who was willing to help one of his people. The Medjai were feared by most and regarded with a grudging respect by enough to avoid trouble when he visited the city, but that did not mean that a single one of them would be willing to crook a finger to safe him.

  
“Why would you help me?” The question slipped out of him before he could stop himself. Why would she go through all that trouble when no one else cared? As a single white woman in this country she probably had enough problems of her own without him thrown in the mix.

  
For a moment she looked at him as if he had lost his mind. “What do you mean, why would I help you? Do you really think I would just let you die in that filthy corner?” She sounded as appalled as she looked and he felt nearly ashamed for his suspicion. But if time did teach him one thing it was that people seldom did things without reason.

  
“Most people would!”

  
“Well, I'm not most people,” she snapped and her bright green eyes dared him to say otherwise. Suppressing the sudden urge to smile at her aggressive behaviour he nodded. “Yes and I thank you for it. But you could have prevent me from dying and then drop me off, there was no need to bring me to your home and look after me.”

  
That seemed to calm her a bit. “I didn't trust that man to not call the police and from what I know the Medjai and the local force aren't on best terms. So I thought it better to bring you here. Besides we are obviously after the same man, so...” she shrugged her shoulders.

  
Frowning he realised where she'd found him and why he had been there. Until now he had not put two and two together. Obviously she had been after the medallion, just like him. How she managed to find Farouq he did not know, but he had to admit that he was impressed by her persistence. That was until he remembered how dangerous that part of Cairo was for someone like her. Ardeth was not sure why he cared so much, he did not even know her, but the thought of her being hurt made him feel uneasy.

  
“You shouldn't have risk your life so carelessly, what if...”

  
“Somebody shot me?” She interrupted him and he inwardly winced at her biting tone. Maybe it was better to change the topic.

  
“How did you find Farouq?”

  
“The same way you did I presume,” she shrugged. “I asked around, money changed hands, a few threats were made.” He doubted that anyone who did not see her hand out a right hook felt threatened by her but he thought it better to keep his mouth shut. “That piece of scum robbed me and I have every intention to get my medallion back! Unfortunately I'm fairly certain that it isn't in his possession any longer.”

  
“What makes you say that?” The way she narrowed her eyes at him reminded him of a cat that watched its prey doing a particular dim-witted move. He had to suppress the urge to squirm under her stare and appear untouched by her while he waited for her answer.

  
“The man we followed, I know him. I've no idea how he is involved in everything but he is. Men like him never do anything without a reason and his appearance today was no coincidence. What I don't understand is why he would risk so much for a bit money and a few trinkets. The man has more money than he could ever spent in one lifetime there must be another reason.”

  
Ardeth feared he already knew the reason. But how was it possible that this man knew about the medallion. Maybe its disappearance for several centuries had something to do with it, though he had a hard time to believe that. The only people who knew about it, were Medjai and they would sooner die than betray the vow each of them swore to protect their secrets.

  
“You know something, don't you?” Again her eyes narrowed at him and for a long moment she simply starred before something like comprehension crossed her face. “It has something to do with the medallion, there is more to it than I first thought right? That's the reason you are after it!”

  
She was too damn sharp witted for her own good.

  
He ignored her questions, knowing he couldn't answer them truthfully. “What is the name of the man who shot me? You said you know him.”

  
That probably was not the smartest move he ever made. With a scowl on her face she stood up and crossed her arms over her chest. “I fear with all that has happened to me the last days I feel a little confused. I just can't remember his name.”

  
“Lilly...”

  
“Don't you Lilly me! If you want an answer to your question, answer mine! Otherwise my lips are sealed!” She snapped and he once again tried not to squirm under her glare. Allah help him escape the stare of the annoyed woman in front of him. He had faced mummies less frightening. His half naked and wounded state did not help to make him feel braver.

  
“Fine,” he finally gave in. She would not let it rest one way or the other so it was maybe better to tell her the truth. Besides she was the only person in seven hundred years who actuallyheld the medallion in her hands. It could not hurt to have her help, specially when this unknown man was after what he feared. White men and their stupid greed for power!

  
“But first I would like to change!” Maybe a layer of clothes would return some of his courage back to him, he thought darkly while he watched her pointing to chair not far from the bed. Much to his surprise it did not just hold a pile of fresh clothes but also his scimitars.

  
A slight grin sprat over his face, thing couldn't be that bad as long as he had his weapons. Unfortunately a sharp blade did little to protect a man from a sharp tongue.

* * *

  
Finally she was going to get some answers! She did not feel guilty about the way she archived it. Hell, she had a right to know and Ardeth was not leaving through her door again without appeasing her curiosity.

  
She had left her bedroom so he could change as he was obviously uncomfortable with her seeing him in his current half naked state. Not that she minded. Under all that loose fitting traditional wear Ardeth Bay hid a very fine body. She flushed a bit at her slightly shocking thoughts.

  
Even though her mother did her best to push her old fashioned prudish believes on her, Lilly had very modern ideas when it came to men, namely that she did not need one to rule her life. So marriage had never held any appeal to her and now that she possessed enough money to live her life she always wanted, even less. But she could not deny that the other sex held a certain appeal she had fallen prey to in the past. She had kissed a few men and her mother would probably have a stroke would she ever come to know how comfortable she had gotten with one or two sailors she had met during her night escapes at boarding school. But that was still considerable tame, compared to what she had seen during those nights. She was not stupid after all. Some longings better remained choked as she was not willing to live with the consequences. But that did not mean she could not appreciate a piece of art when it was directly in front of her.

  
“Right Lilly, nothing to feel ashamed about,” she mumbled to herself while she started to boil water for some much needed tea.

  
“Ashamed about what?” Ardeths deep voice filled the air and Lilly could barely suppress a shriek at his sudden appearance. She could feel her cheeks heating up at being caught in her private musings about him.

  
“Nothing,” she hastily replied and rushed to put two cups onto her small kitchen table. “So you wanted to tell me about the medallion.” While he slowly sat down on one of the chairs he mumbled something in Arabic that sounded suspiciously like forced is more like it. But she did not care, as long as she got answers.

  
“What makes the medallion so special that people have to die for it?” She was thinking about Aden, who died in that dusty alley and his son who nearly shared the same destiny. And her own role in it all, as every time something happened it was her that found them.

  
“What do you know about the Eye of Ra?”

  
Frowning she starred at him, was he trying to change the subject? “That depends. According to my farther there are a few goddesses who could personify the Eye of Ra. The most likely is probably Sekhmet who is the violent aspect of Hathor.” He was surprised, impressed even she could see that much in his eyes. Encouraged by his reaction she continued. “She is the female counterpart to the sun god Ra, the violent force that subdues his enemies” The whistling of the kettle interrupted her and she went to prepare the tea. When she turned around once more she noticed Ardeth watching her with an odd expression on his face.

  
“What?”

  
“Nothing,” he shook his head as if to shake off a persistent thought. “You are correct in your assumptions. Then you've heard about the Book of the Heavenly Cow?”

  
Although she had no idea what he was driving at, she decided to amuse him for now. “Yes, it tells the story of how Ra, king of gods and men alike, sends the Eye against mankind who tries to defy him when they notice him getting old and weak. The legend says that he transforms his gentle daughter Hathor into the wild and untameable lion-goddess Sekhmet and sends her against mankind. Sekhmet does as she is told and slaughters every man, woman and child that crosses her path. But as Ra witness the destruction he let loose, he feels pity for the people that tried to murder him and decides to prevent mankind form being extinguished.” The tea was ready and she paused for a moment to pour them each a cup of good old English earl grey.

  
“He uses a trick to overbear her. Ra orders that beer be dyed red and poured out over the land. Sekhmet in her greed for blood drinks the beer and in her inebriated state she finally returns to Ra, without noticing her intended victims, and is transformed into her harmless form.” Smiling Lilly remembered how her farther told her the story of Ra and many other ancient myths. Other girls might have heard Snow White or Cinderella when they went to bed, she enjoyed tales of Nut who birthed the five main gods, of Isis and Osiris and the never ending fight between Ra and Apophis.

  
“But Ra is so disappointed with mankind that he decides to leave the mortal realm. On the back of Nut, in the form of a cow, he flies into the sky and ever since then he's never returned.”

  
After she finished with the tale Ardeth seemed lost in the moment as if he was trying to visualize the things she'd just told him.

  
“You are right,” his voice finally broke through the silence. “Partly. The original and most feared Eye of Ra was indeed Hathor in her violent form as Sekhmet. Like you said she was sent to slaughter mankind for their betrayal against Ra but his trick to tame her didn't go as smoothly as the legend says.”

  
She still was not sure if she should be annoyed due to his attempt to distract her or intrigued with his version of the story. In the end her curiosity won and she made an impatient gesture for him to continue. For a fleeting moment she had the impression Ardeth was trying to suppress a smile but before she could be sure he raised his voice once again.

  
“Although Sekhmet was heavy inebriated she didn't return. She felt betrayed by Ra's trick and fled into the bordering country where she caused chaos and destruction the very things she was created to fight. Many of the gods went out to stop her but they all failed their quest. So Ra conceived another plan. With the help of a mortal man he created a medallion, made out of Sekhmets blood, hair and claw and charmed it so he could control her.”

  
It took her a second to add two and two before her eyes got wide. “You mean my medallion...” Lilly stopped mid-sentence as she realised how absurd her thoughts were. They were talking about an ancient myth, an Egyptian fairy tale, not a historical fact. Annoyed she pressed her lips together, unsure if she could tame her tongue should she open her mouth. Was he making fun of her?

  
She was asking him about the medallion and he dished up some fantastic story about the gods? Anger boiled inside her and it was not hard to read her emotions on her face, but he did not give her the chance to tell him a piece of her mind.

  
“I know it must sound pretty unbelievable but I assure you it is true. The Medjai have been the keeper of many secrets and tales since the first Pharaoh ascended the throne.” He stopped to check her reaction and she had to admit that he had a valid point.

  
Every source she had turned to, to find out more about Ardeths people had pointed out that they were once the personal guards of the Pharaohs, trusted with the most dire and feared secrets. If there was someone who would know about such things it would be Ardeth. But a medallion created by Ra himself, to tame Sekhmet? Lilly had a hard time to believe that and she told him as much.

  
“I know how it must sound to you but it is true.”

  
“Okay,” she took a deep breath. “Let us assume for a moment that you are right...”

  
“I am right!” He interrupted her and she shot him a death glare.

  
“Then let us assume I believe you instead. What would that mean? That the owner of the medallion only has to snap his fingers and Sekhmet comes crawling at your feet ready to slaughter your enemies for you?” With a snot she crossed her arms in front of her chest and leant back in her chair. He better gave her a good answer or Sekhmet was the last of his worries.

  
It was obvious that he was getting frustrated with her behaviour, but really what did he expect?

  
“The legends says the owner is indeed able to control the Eye, but first he has to free her from her prison which isn't an easy task. The Great Queen Hatshepsut, who was aware of the true thread this creature represented, made sure of that. She modified her original prison in case an enemy would take possession of the medallion and use the Eye for its own benefits. Whoever is in possession of the gem also needs the key to her resting place.”

  
“And where might that prison be? I imagine it's not easy to hide a creature that enormous in a country that is mainly build out of sand and flat areas!”

  
Her question seemed to amuse him greatly but the source of his amusement was completely lost on her and his answer didn't help to make things clearer.

  
“Well sometimes it's best to hide things in plain sight, don't you agree?”

The book of the heavenly cow, from the tomp of Seti I                                    Sekhmet


	9. Interlude 1: The sands of time

Interlude I: Sands of time

Egypt 1167 AC

For a moment Ulrich simply starred at the dead body in front him, as his vision suddenly cleared and he realised what he had done. He had been sleeping and one of those awful memories had haunted him, hauling him back to places he wished he could simply forget. It was nothing new to him and his brothers in arms used to ignore it. There was not one of them that was not plagued by similar things. But Sahid could not know that and probably tried to wake him.

  
Ulrich had reacted simply on instinct. He was a knight of the Hospitaller -a fighter to the forces of the Occident. So when he opened his eyes and saw Sahids' dark skinned form hovering above him, he did what every Christian man in his situation would do; he snatched the next best weapon and defended himself. Too late he realised that there was no enemy sneaking up to his side to kill him, only a tender hearted man who had rescued him from the desert.

  
Almost desperately he tried to find something like regret or shame welling up inside him but there was none. Such feelings had not been there for longer than he cared to admit. He cocked his head and continued to look, not yet ready to turn around and go on with his life.

  
The dagger he had used for the kill was still embedded in Sahids chest. Dark red blood had soaked through his once white linen tunic and reminded Ulrich once again that under their skin they all were the same. Christ, Muslim and god knows who else was out there proclaiming that his believes were the right ones. It did not matter in the end. Blood was blood. They all had to die, some sooner some later.

  
He preferred the latter.

  
It was due to Sahid that he was still alive. The desert warrior had found him half dead from dehydration, hunger and sunburns so bad they had turned his flesh into a red blistering mass. And as if that itself had not been enough the sandstorm that suddenly surrounded him sure as hell was.

  
It was a small miracle that Sahid noticed him at all. Ulrich remembered laying in the sand, half mad with pain and thirst. It had not been the first time since he left his home to fight in the Holy land, for reasons he had long forgotten, that he thought he would to die. He had endured torture, thirst and madness -his own as well as that of others -but nothing had ever been as cruel and unforgiving as the Egyptian desert. It was as if the sand practical waited for some stupid fool to get lost in it so it could sent you on a wild goose of finding your way out, while the sun burned a hole into your head.

  
So it was no wonder he first thought Sahid to be a nasty trick of his sun-grilled mind. Fortunately it was neither a trick nor was his condition as gravely as he had first thought. After two days of hallucinating and withering in pain his fever broke and things started to get better. Sahid provided him with food and water, looked after his wounds and talked to him in that melodic, hypnotic language of his. Over the years Ulrich mastered enough of it to get by, though it was usually easier for him to understand what was spoken then to actually form the words. So he simply listened to the other man, content to know that he was not alone.

  
Ulrich had no idea why the other man cared enough to help a foreigner like him and he never bothered to ask, but it was due to Sahids skill that he escaped the Grim Reaper another time.

  
But Death, as always, was not willing to forgo a dead body if it had been promised to him. But the bastard was not very picky. If he could not have the one that was supposed to die he would simply choose another. Ulrich knew that. Eaten and be eaten and although he had not intended to kill his saviour he asked himself if this kill was the price for his life?

  
It did not matter now anyway. With a shrug of his shoulders he turned around to inspect the cave further. Although he had spent the last few days in it he had not have the opportunity to look around. Partly because he still felt weak, partly because he did not feel the need. But now that he wore out his welcome he needed to find a way out of here. And collect anything that may be useful on his journey. Without haste he grasped his sword and dagger that rested against the stone wall not far from his former resting place. He carefully searched through Sahids things and beside a few dried pieces of fruit and a bottle of water he found a map. It was old and unfortunately used some kind of picture language instead of Arabic. Ulrich could identify the Sphinx as well as the giant pyramids and he knew that he was east of Kairo at least so somehow he would find his way there.

  
Other than before when he got separated from his fellow comrades after the battle, he had the advantage of Sahids dromedary which rested in front of the cave as he knew. He had no love lost for the smelly and spitting animals but knew how useful they were in this terrain.

  
After searching through the main room he carefully checked for smaller tunnels and was surprised how many of them he found. Most were dead ends, barley more than alcoves but one lead deeper into the rock and he was more than surprised at what he found.

  
Blinking he looked around the small room. The left wall was formed to be used as a book shelve and he could see several roles of papyrus sticking out. Some were protected with layers of leathers while others were carelessly left to the face moist air. But the right wall peaked his interest. There were dozens of chests and boxes of wood as well as gold, ivory and other shimmering materials. At first he thought his mind was playing tricks with his eyes again, but as he touched and opened them they did not disappear.

  
A low chuckle left his lips as he starred into biggest box and he could feel something akin to hope rise in his chest. The inside was filled with all kinds of statures, jewellery and weapons. Each piece was made of the finest metal he could imagine and encrusted with diamonds, rubies and other stones that normally could only be found around the necks and fingers of the richest kings and queens. With shaking hands he opened every box he could find and with each lid he lifted he could feel his heart beating faster. Before him was more money than he could ever spent in his lifetime.

  
He could finally sail home. His breath hitched painfully at the thought. It seemed like a dream. Maybe he was still in one of his feverish dreams.

  
Home. The place was nothing more than a fuzzy memory. It had been more than ten years since he left his home though it felt like a lifetime ago. As the youngest son of a Baron with a lot of land but little money, he was little better than one of his father’s grooms. It was a traceable decision when he declared to join the Hospitallers in the Holy land and fight for their Lord like any good Christian should. His farther had been mighty proud of him and equipped him with a fairly good sword and armour even though their treasury could not really afford it. So he had left his home on the back of their best horse to join their forces in the Holy Land. Stupid, young and naïve as he had been it was a wonder he had survived even the journey. It had not taken him long to replace the image of glorious, victorious knights who fought for the right cause in his head with reality. His foolish believes as well as most human emotions had simply been beaten out of him. Over and over again with any kind of weapon and not always through the hands of the enemy.

  
He was done with this country. With this part of the earth really. All he wanted was a quiet and peaceful life far away from war and torture. A woman to warm his bed at night and enough food to never feel hunger again. And now he could have it all.

  
Ulrich realised that he was daydreaming and immediately put a stop to it. He could not afford to be one step ahead of himself. One of his few god given skills was to focus on a mission without getting carried away or worse too sure of himself. It had rescued his hide more than one time and would make sure that his time was no different.

  
So he fetched the thin sheet he had rested on and carefully looked through the boxes again. He only took those pieces that were small enough to be easily hidden in his pockets, light enough to carry on his journey and valuable enough to be easily sold on the streets without rising too much suspicion. On his way out with his well filled bag his eyes once again came to a stop on the scrolls of papyrus. Maybe they were maps or showed the location of other hideouts like this? It could not hurt to take one or two with him.

  
The royal signet on some of the leather bound scrolls meant nothing to him, just as the warning hieroglyphs on some of the treasure boxes did not stop him from taking them with him. Had he been able to read them he may have realised that some things were meant to be hidden and never be brought under the bright sky again. Let alone leave the country.

  
Luckily for Ulrich, ignorance was bliss and he saddled his dromedary without a glance back or a thought towards the chaos his action would cause.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little history excursion if you are interested. 
> 
> The thing with the Cursades is a bit more complicated than one might think (or I did in the beginning). Apparently there are differnt opinions about the number of Cursades. The most advance view ist 7.  
> I tried to make a list of the most important ones (not really important for my fic, but sometimes I get lost in resarch). 
> 
> So here a (shorten) timeline of a few Cursades:  
> First Cursade: 1096–1099, target: Jerusalem  
> Second Cursade: 1147–1149, target: (planned) Edessa, (in the end) Damaskus  
> Third Cursade: 1189–1192, target: Jerusalem  
> Forth Cursade: 1202–1204, target: (planned) Egypt, (in the end) Constantinopele  
> Children's Cursade: 1212  
> Albigensian Cursade: 1209–1229, target: south of France  
> Fifth Cursade:  
> Cursade of Damiette: 1217–1221, target: Egypt  
> Cursade of Friedrichs II.: 1228–1229, target: Jerusalem  
> Six Cursade 1248–1254, target: Egypt  
> Seventh Cursade 1270-1272, Ziel: Tunis/Jerusalem


	10. Chapter 7: Thoughts and plans

* * *

Chapter 7: Thoughts and plans

A few days later:

With a satisfied smile Wilhelm raised the thick crystal glass to his mouth and took a deep sip from the expensive golden liquid. Sighing contently, he leant back in his antique leather chair behind the massive mahogany desk. Finally things worked out the way like they should have years ago. He would succeed where is father had failed.

  
Wilhelms’s eyes wandered to the small golden medallion, which laid harmlessly on his desk right beside the old papyrus scroll, which showed an artful drawing of the opened gem. The ugly cross that had once covered the lid, was missing but as the inside seemed the same as it had been all those years ago, he did not think much of it.

  
His ancestor Ulrich had turned his back on the knights and their holy war, shortly after the Hospitallers suffered a terrible defeat against Egypt. He had found his way back to Austria and his pockets had been full with enough treasures to offer him a comfortable and carefree life. Other as the golden bracelets, pearls and expensive stones though, the scrolls were carelessly stuffed inside the dusty library and forgotten for many centuries. Until his farther, Simon, rediscovered them at the end of the last century. Accidentally.

  
Due to a rather scandalous affair with the wife of one of his father’s friends, seventeen year old Simon was forced to catalogue the library as a disciplinary measurement. Luckily for them all Simon was not able to sweet talk his way out of the punishment. Otherwise he would never have found the scroll with the medallion inside. Something about it piqued his curiosity and instead of simply taking the valuable gem, he started to find out more about it. The Rosetta stone had been found nearly a hundred years prior and the knowledge gained from it was the key to the mysterious medallion.

  
It took him the better part of his life, but Simon was able to decipher the scroll. Careful research, money and irrevocable believe in the mythos he discovered lead him to back to Egypt where everything begun. The first three trips were without success, but the forth expedition in 1920 was promising. Due to some very helpful information from an outlawed Medjai they started to dig in the right places. The success was practical within their grasp, until that that filthy thief stole the medallion right form his father’s hands.

  
Neither Simon nor he ever wasted a thought to the possibility that somebody might sabotage their undertaking. Truthfully they never thought anybody besides their family knew about the meaning of the medallion. On that meaningful April morning, fifteen years ago, they had been shown differently. Although Wilhelm had send men after the two Medjai warriors, who robbed them and even engaged in the search for them it was not enough. They had only found the one who had grasped the gem out of his father’s hands. He had been sitting against a wall in a filthy street with a hole in his chest. Not that he cared.

  
What did trouble him was that they could not find the medallion.

  
For month they turned every stone and sand corn, threatened and bribed every person that might have seen or heard something. Nobody wanted or could tell them something useful about the Medjai who unfortunately escaped them. There were twelve tribes, one harder to find than the other, and they had no clue which they belonged to. The tattoos might have given it away, but the corpse of the Medjai was already gone when they learned about it.

  
Wilhelm never really believed that the second one escaped with the gem. After the attack both men fled into different directions and he was sure that they had not had the chance to cross ways again. So the medallion should have been by the dead warrior, the fact that it was not could only mean that somebody robbed him and Wilhelm was not sure, if that was a better or worse scenario and over time he gave up the hope to ever find it again.

  
His father was not willing to accept defeat as easily though. As a Weißenburg, he was used to get what he wanted sooner or later so he spent endless months searching the gem, but for the first time in his life no amount of money and influence was able to return the medallion to him. Slowly the awareness that his lifelong dream of finding the secret behind the medallion would never be fulfilled changed him. At first it was barely visible but over time the strength with which he held his body left him as well as the determined shine behind his eyes.

  
In the end Simon was nothing more than the shell of the man he once had been and who Wilhelm had admired and looked up to all his life. Had it not been for that fateful day in April, his father would have fought the infection that overtook him barely two years afterwards. Instead he had lost his will to live and died three month after the doctor diagnosed his illness.

  
Wilhelms’s fingers tightened around the glass as he remembered the haggard figure his father had become on his last days. All because of a filthy thief who should never have crossed their path.

  
But then the events of the last few days crossed his mind and slowly but surely a satisfied smile started to overtake his lips. The medallion was finally back where it belonged and further he was able to avenge the death of his father. At least figuratively. One Medjai less to worry about.

  
His eyes were still fixed on the gem and not for the first time he wondered how something so little could be the cause of so much misery, determination and power.  
“So much power,” Wilhelm mumbled.

  
And it would be his to command. Drinking the last mouthful of his drink he put his glass down and stood up. Now that the medallion was in his possession he had other things that needed his full attention. Though he had started to make arrangements as soon as he discovered that Miss Blackmoor was in possession of this long lost family treasure, there were things he had not been willing to start before the gem was safe in his hands.

  
Now that that wasn't a concern any longer nothing would stop him from getting what he wanted.

* * *

  
Lilly felt as if she was seven again and allowed to accompany her father to one of the many archaeological excavations he studied. The sun was burning and she was sweating under the protective layers of cloth that covered her from head to toe, but that did not stop the happiness that bubbled up inside her. For the first time since she came back here Lilly felt whole again.

  
Back in Germany she had thought she simply had to re-enter this country to lighten her heart. But ever since she stepped from the ship that brought her here, it felt as if something was missing though she could not put her finger on it.

  
The irony that she would find that something here, in the desert of all things, was not lost to her. Grinning like a fool she regarded the man in front of her, who had finally given up at looking over his shoulders every five minutes to make sure she was still there. As if a bit sand and heat would hinder her!

  
Ardeth had to return to his tribe to inform them of everything that happened as well as get the necessary help they would need. He would have preferred it if she had not come with him, but she had put her foot down and after everything she had done for him he obviously felt as if he owed her. Well maybe he simply realized a 'no' would not stop her. In the end she really did not care what made him give in, she wanted her medallion back, mystical tool or not!

  
The eye of Ra.

  
Could it really be true that the medallion held the power to control one of the most fearsome creatures known in Egyptian mythology? Given that said creature existed.  
Doubtful.

  
As a little girl she wanted the stories her father told her to be true. Once she even nicked some food and vine from their home and scarified them in honor of Isis and her son Horus. She pledged with them to find a way so she could stay in Egypt indefinitely. But neither her pleading with the gods nor her parents made her wish come true.

  
Well, that was not entirely true Lilly mused as she looked around. She was in Egypt right now. Allowedly that was not exactly what she had in mind as a girl, but she was here none the less. So maybe the gods had heard her wish and simply taken their time to fulfill it.

  
But as someone how was raised in a modern world where scientist and scholars were able to explain the most wonder-some things with plain facts and a rational mind, Lilly felt it hard to simply believe.

  
She did not doubt for a moment that Ardeth full-heartily believed in the ancient religion of his country though he did pray to Allah. She was not really religious, so why did she have such a hard time to accept that the Eye of Ra might be more than just a myth?

  
Maybe she should not picture the Eye as the lion-headed beast she had often seen craved in stonewalls or portrayed in one of her books. Perhaps the Eye was some kind of weapon.

  
That sounded logical.

  
While her ancestors still fought with sticks and stones and learned to walk straight, ancient Egyptians were already able to undertake complex surgery. So it was not very farfetched to assume that they had built a weapon that would be powerful enough to destroy whole armies and make people tremble with fear. Even these days.

  
A cold shiver ran down her spine at that thought. If such a weapon really existed she hoped it would never be found again. Some power hungry fool would try to use it and a lot of people would suffer and probably die.

  
Her thoughts wandered towards Lord Weißenburg who was now in possession of her medallion. Well most of it, she thought sourly and her fingers twitched to touch the Ankh around her neck.

  
Lilly realized that she had forgotten to tell Ardeth about it and should probably make up for it as soon as possible. On the other hand he had not told her yet where the mighty Eye of Ra was hidden, so maybe it would be to her advantage to keep it to herself. For now.

  
What would Wilhelm do with the Eye? Was he simply after it out of scientific curiosity? To prove a theory? No, that was something her farther would have done, the Baron would not steel and kill for such a reason. There had to be more. So, was he one of the men who strove for world domination? Who lived for the feeling of power and enjoyed to decide about live and death? He definitely belonged to the kind of people who enjoyed the influence he had over others and he was used to call the shots, but did that make him evil?

It certainly did not make him very likeable, but that in itself was not a crime. To order a robbery and trying to kill another man however was.

  
Whatever the reason behind Lord Weißenburgs interest in her medallion, or more accurately the Eye, was it troubled her. And somehow she felt compelled to prevent any wrongdoing that could happen. Of course it was silly but the medallion had been in her possession for so long that she felt responsible.

  
No mythical creature/ mighty weapon would wreak havoc – not on her watch.

* * *

  
Normally Ardeth enjoyed riding through the desert. It was a good place to muse over important things, as well as an opportunity to relax and allow his mind to zone out. Today though he was not able to find the needed ease and quiet that was necessary to do either.

  
He was worried. Admittedly that was not unusual, as leader of the Medjai he was in a constant state of worry. But it was more like a humming in the back of his head. It would change its volume as well as its tune but seldom develop another rhythm.

  
This time his worry was nothing that could be pushed into the back of his mind. The dreadful feeling that had sprouted inside him weeks ago, was getting stronger every day. It was not the medallion alone that nourished the feeling, although he would feel a whole lot better with it around his neck. But there were other incidents that left a vapid taste in his mouth, like the group of Europeans which were digging around the Karnak Temple Complex. He remembered the day when Rashid had informed him about them and their speculation what they might be looking for. Now he had a pretty good idea what they were hoping to find.

  
He realized that he had been gone for a few weeks and had no idea what was going on. Inwardly he cursed Farouq and the old man that shot him: Baron Wilhelm Weißenburg.

  
Unintentionally his hand wandered towards the wound on his chest, but he stopped himself before he could touch it. It was throbbing enough already and the swaying motion of the dromedary was additionally sending small tremors through it. Actually he was not in any condition to travel, but his current situation left him with little choice.

  
Lilly might have been able to bribe a doctor to look after his wounds, but he doubted that the man kept his mouth shut about it. Only the fact that she had blindfolded the doctor before she brought him to her home, had appeased him enough to rest a few days before he pressed her into leaving. Well, originally he planned to go alone but she would have none of it. Somehow she had got it in her head to retrieve the medallion and nothing he said could change her mind. Unfortunately he was in no position to simply vanish without her.

  
Sighing Ardeth refrained himself from looking over his shoulder, to check if she was still there like he did the first few miles. She was pretty adapt for a woman of her social standing and there was no need for him to look out for her as he initially feared. It relieved him of some of his worries and made it easier to accept her presence. Actually appreciate it, a little bit.

  
He was not ignorant to the fact that she held a lot of knowledge, about the medallion as well as Baron Weißenburg, and the damage it could cause in the wrong hands. It was better to have her in eyesight. Besides his refusal to take her with him, would hardly stop her from getting what she wanted. Her appearance in front of the Kismet was proof of that. The woman was much too stubborn and had the money to afford it.

  
Not for the first time he asked himself what such a woman was doing here in Egypt all on her own. From what he gathered he knew that she lived in this country as a girl and was finally forced to move back to Europe with her parents. Her quite detailed knowledge about Egyptian Mythology seemed to come through her father’s teaching. Maybe an archaeologist?

  
Ardeth suspected that the man was dead, the mother maybe as well. He could not imagine any man, who would allow his daughter to live so freely and unprotected. As independent as she appeared to be, she was quite foolish with her trust. She did not really know much more than his name and here she was accompanying him into the desert. Nobody knew where she was or that he was with her. He could do anything he wanted and nobody would ever know. Not that he would ever hurt a woman, but that was beside the point. What was she thinking?

  
However he had to admit their short but livid time together created an unusual amount of trust between them. Life and death situations did that to people. So maybe it felt completely natural to her to accompanying him without second guessing his intentions. He certainly hoped so, he had already enough on his plate without worrying over.

  
Sighing Ardeth allowed his gaze to wander over the desert in front of him. Something big was coming and he feared, he would not be able to stop it this time.

 


	11. Chapter 8: Home is where the heart is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lilly meets Ardeth's mum :-)

Chapter eight: Home is where the heart is

A few days later:

Samina Bay endured a lot of misery in her life. Her mother died giving birth to her little brother, when she was barely five. Not ten years later her father and brother followed her, when their tribe was attacked by errant thieves. Her mother’s family was from the first tribe of the Medjai and she had been forced to leave her friends and home to live with them. There she had met her future love and husband the chieftains first born son, Aden.

  
At first she could not stand the arrogant and cocky boy, who had a smile and charming words for every woman that passed his way. But somehow Aden got it in his head, that she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. Her refusal and dismissive act towards him, only made him more determined to win her over and in the end she gave in. Samina had not regretted one day she had spent at his side. Aden was everything she ever wished for as a husband and was a wonderful father to their child Ardeth, who adored him.

  
The day his dead body was brought back to her, she had thought she would die too. The arch she felt in her chest could not have been worse, if someone had ripped her heart out. Ardeth was in England at the time and Samina had been grateful that he was not forced to see his farther like that.

  
Her poor boy had been pushed into the role of a leader much too early in his life. It was not fair that he was forced to take over the responsibility for so many people, but he did not complain and Samina was proud to say that he did a fabulous job. Even though he was confronted with more evil than any other chieftain before him in a long while.

  
The creature they all had vowed to watch over, had escaped its grave not only once but twice and attacked them with ancient plagues and evils. They had lost many of their own, but under Ardeth’s leadership they had been able to defeat Imhotep for good.

  
After everything he had been through Samina had hoped he would finally settle down and marry. He needed a good woman who would love him, listen to his problems and encourage him when he faltered. A man of his position needed a strong woman who had his back.

  
With the good looks of his farther and the many tales of his bravery against Imhotep, there were many woman among their tribes who would love to hold the position of his wife. But regardless of their beauty, charm and determination her son had little more than a friendly smile for them. There were times, where she seriously doubted she would ever hold a grandchild in her arms. A long time ago she had even questioned, if he was interested in women at all?

  
Of course that was before she stumbled upon him and a girl from another tribe, who was there with her mother to visit their aunt for a few days. She had been so relieved that she had not yelled at the two for such behaviour, in a store tent at that.

  
Ever since that day she had prayed that he would find a woman who could hold his interested for longer than a night, but he was too much like his farther. Aden once told her that he just knew that she was the one for him the first time he saw her and Samina guessed it would be the same for Ardeth. She only hoped it would not take him too long to meet her, she was not getting any younger and she did not want to die without the knowledge that her son was happy and taken care of.

  
She should have known though, that her son would not go easy on her. No! Sure, she had just told her friend Jasmina, that by now she would be happy about any woman at his side, as long he was happy. But this...

  
The moment she had laid eyes on the woman that accompanied her son back to his tribe, Samina just knew that she was the god’s twisted answer to her prayers. She was truly beautiful, no one could deny that. In a pale, exotic kind of way. Her dark auburn hair literally glittered in the sun, as she pushed the protecting layers of cloth to the side and more than one man looked at her with awe written on their faces. She could not blame them, even she herself was spellbound for a moment, although she realised it was a trick played by the sun. The spell was broken however, when her son tried to help her from her dromedary and she snapped at him in irritation, reminding him that he was in no condition to do so.

  
Samina was not sure what she found more shocking, the fact that her son was obviously hurt or that this foreign woman had no qualms telling him off. She was not sure if she ever witnessed a woman arguing with Ardeth. Well, beside herself. His position as chief usually allowed her stubborn son to get things his way. Ardeth’s answer was just as snappy and for a moment she simply watched the banter between those two, a smile tugging at her mouth. It was about time that a woman stood up to him.

  
She noticed Rashid hesitantly approaching his chief and instantly remembered that there was once again trouble blooming and once again it was her son, who was expected to make things right.

  
Sighing she realised that she would have to wait to greet her son, but maybe she could use the time to find out more about his companion. After all who was she to question the gods?

* * *

  
Lilly was not sure what to make of the woman, Samina, who had invited her into her tent to freshen up. At first she had thought nothing of it, just a nice gesture towards a guest. Hospitality was very common among desert tribes. A necessary in a dangerous environment like the desert.

  
Ardeth had vanished as soon as they had arrived at the camp and although Lilly was not happy about, it she understood that he would have to honour his obligations towards his tribe. Hopefully he would come up with a plan.

  
“How did you and my son meet?” The unexpected question ripped her out of her musing.

  
“Your son?” Uncomfortable Lilly starred at the woman. If Ardeth was her son, that would make her Aden's wife. Everything always seemed to go back to Aden and that day in the alley.

  
“Um...we met each other at museum in Cairo.” During a robbery, she wanted to add but that sounded so dramatic. “During a soiree.”

  
“Ah,” Samina raised her eye brow as if she had a hard time imagining her son attending a soiree. “That sounds...nice.” Yeah, right.

  
Samina looked as if she wanted to say more but, could not find the right words. That was the moment Lilly noticed Ardeth's mother had been speaking English with her, but obviously she was not all that comfortable with it. Stupid as she was, Lilly told her that they continue their conversation in Arabic if she felt more comfortable with it.

  
_“You speak our tongue?”_ Samina beamed at her and Lilly did not like the gleam that entered the woman's eyes. _“I mean no disrespect, but how is it that you speak our language so fluently?”_

  
_“I grew up in Cairo, it was bound to happen.”_ She shrugged. Her mother had been anything but happy, when she realised that her daughter was more fluent in that barbaric tongue and English as she was in German. As her mother was the only one around who spoke it and Lilly tried to avoid spending time with her, even as a child, it was no wonder. Her father could speak German too, but when they were alone he preferred to talk to her in his native tongue.

  
Samina raised an eyebrow at her, obviously she wanted to hear more. _“My father was a professor for Egyptology and ancient languages. When the war broke out, he fled the country with my mother and me. For a few years I lived here before I had to go back.”_

  
_“You didn't want to?”_

  
_“No, why would I? Everything I knew and loved was here.”_ Lilly noticed how similar their talk was to that she had with the woman's husband and felt extremely uncomfortable with it. Should she mention that she had been with Aden the day he died? But what was she supposed to say? _Oh by the way, I met your husband all those years ago. You know when he was bleeding to death in that shabby street. I didn't notice that he was hurt, I was too engrossed with the gift he bestowed on me!_ She winced. No, better not say anything.

  
_“That is why you came back.”_ Samina nodded. _“And is it like you remember? Did you find enough things you love to stay here again?”_ Something in the way the question was asked made Lilly extremely cautious to answer, but she quickly lost herself in the love she held for this land.

  
_“Um, yes. I love the people here. The streets are always busy and colourful, not like back in Germany where everything is straight and stiff. I love the heat, though I always have to be careful due to my pale skin and I specially love Egypt’s history. I've been reading dozen of books and travelled to many of the remaining temples and statures. I try to imagine what it must have looked like in its prime and wish I could have seen it, just once. And...”_ She noticed that she was babbling like a waterfall and blushed. Normally she was not such a chatterbox, but it was not often that she had the opportunity to talk about it. Not since her father’s death.

  
The smile on Samina's face made her feel a bit less embarrassed though.

  
_“You should ask Ardeth to show you some of the sacred places. Nobody knows as much about them as we Medjai. I'm sure my son would love to take you there.”_ Again the woman had that odd gleam in her eyes.

  
_“Um, I'm not so sure if Ardeth would be so willing._ ” The only reason she was here was because she bribed him. He certainly would not take her on a sightseeing tour.  
_“Ah, nonsense! If he invited you here, he will certainly accompany you to see a few of the ancient monuments.”_

  
_“Well, he didn't exactly invite me here. Actually he wasn't happy about me coming along, but he didn't have much of a choice.”_ Sooner or later Ardeth would tell his mother about this. So maybe it was better if she was the one who told the woman. God knew how Ardeth would make it sound.

  
_“What do you mean?”_

  
Sighing she told her about Ardeths injury and her role in his recovery. Although she glossed it over, she could still see the fear in Samina's eyes.

  
_“So you saved my sons life?”_

  
_“Not really. I simply paid a doctor to do so.”_

  
_“But you obviously care a great deal about my son, if you are willing to go through all the trouble.”_ Lilly felt her eyes widen, but before she could say anything Samina continued. _“He is a good man my son, but a bit slow when it comes to certain matters. You just have to be a bit patient with him.”_

  
_“What?”_ She stuttered, horrified at the turn their talk has taken. _“No, it's nothing like that!”_

  
“Of course not,” Samina agreed quickly, but Lilly could see the smile tugging at her lips.

  
Great, as if her life had not been complicated enough, without Ardeths mother thinking she was in love with her son. Could her life get any more complicated?

  
It could, as she soon would find out.

* * *

  
“I'm ashamed to inform you, that some of the foreigners were successful in raiding the Karnak Temple Complex, two nights ago.” Rashid told him, as soon as they had entered his tent.

  
Although Ardeth had suspected something like that, he felt a cold chill creep down his back. He had hoped to position more of his men around the Temple Complex, to prevent the treasure hunters from succeeding in their search.

  
“Are you sure my friend?” He knew his second would not have told him if he was not sure, but the twisted feeling inside his stomach made him ask anyway.

  
“Unfortunately, yes.”

  
“Was anybody hurt while they tried to stop them?” Ardeth knew the answer to that as well. None of his men would have watched deed-less while strangers robbed one of their sacred places. But since the battle against Anubis their numbers where dwindling and it was difficult to protect all the places they needed. Specially in times like this, where many different locations where being explored by strangers. He should have stopped the foreigner’s weeks ago, while they were still digging. Now it was too late.

  
“Rafi and Zafar did not make it. Three others were hurt, we are not sure if Hamid will make it.”

  
Ardeth sucked in a deep breath. This was worth than he expected. “What did they take?”

  
“That's the worst part, chief.” If his best friend was calling him by his title it had to be fatal. “We are not sure what they found. Hamid told us he saw some kind of gold encrusted plate with hieroglyphs on it, but he was not near enough to get a better description.”

  
It was like he feared. Many secrets had been lost, over time but with his new knowledge about the medallion Ardeth had a pretty good idea, what they found.

  
“You remember what your father told us about the day, my father was killed?”

  
If Rashid was surprised about his sudden change of topic he did not show it, but simply nodded.

  
“They indeed found the medallion.” At this his friend sucked in a shocked breath. “Father had been deadly wounded and tried to hide in one of the side alleys. He knew that his attackers would find him sooner or later, so he did the only sensible thing and entrusted the gem to another person. A small child, a girl, who happened to come across him.”

“How do you know of this?”

  
“The woman who arrived with me,” at this Rashid smirked at him. “She was the girl who found my father.” At that the smirk left his friend's lips. “Her family left Egypt soon after and she didn't come back here until a year ago. It was by chance that I met her at the museum.”

  
“Or destiny, my friend. The gods are known for their odd humour.” With a snort he had to agree with Rashid. Maybe Lilly was godly send, though Ardeth was not sure if she was a curse or a blessing.

  
“Regardless of the reason behind our meeting, I was able to learn about fathers last hours. She was too young to comprehend what was going on, but she cherished his gift to her and always carried it with her.”

  
“Do you mean...you mean the medallion is here? With her?”

  
“No. Unfortunately we were robbed before she could return the gem to me.”

  
Rashid looked as if he was not sure if his chief was playing him a joke. Blinking he opened his mouth but shut it before anything came out. After a moment he tried again. “Robbed? Is that why you are injured?”

  
Sighing Ardeth shook his head and deemed it best to tell his friend what had happened since he had left the camp.

  
“So she rescued her life.” Gritting his teeth Ardeth nodded. Rashid had the annoying habit to get to the point. “If things continue for you two like before, it won't take you long to fulfil your life debt. Besides it doesn't seem like such a hardship to keep her close until then.”

  
Ardeth did not care one bit for the irritated feeling that was overcoming him, at his friend’s words and quickly changed the topic.

  
“As it is I have a fairly good idea what they stole from the Karnak temple. And if I'm right they will need three more pieces before they can find what they are really after. We need to increase our attempts to guard the Temple Complex in Dendera as well as the Mortuary temple of Hatshepsut.”

  
“You really think they would try to release her?” Rashid looked aghast. “That is insane!”

  
“The greed for power makes people do frightening things. I fear they will do anything in their power to reach their goal.”

  
Ardeth hoped that they would be able to stop them, however after two encounters with Imhotep their chances to succeed weren't as high as they once had been. Already he had lost two men and the worst part was jet to come.

 

Due to his injuries, their stay with his tribe turned out longer than he had planned. But the exhausting trip across the desert had robbed him of more energy than he liked to admit, so Ardeth did not fight the healer when he advised him to stay for a few days. Instead of a good night’s rest though, he was pulled into an evening feast. He suspected his mother behind it but did not call her out on it, as the happy laughter around him reminded him that it had been far too long since they celebrated together.

The women had baked and cooked their most delicious foods and the sweet smell was lingering in the air.  Soon enough music could be heard and was quickly followed by merry laughter and dancing feet. Many onlookers were pulled into the dancing crowed, willing or not. He grinned cheekily at Rahsid, who was one of the unwilling, while he himself was spared due to his injury.  

Gayly laughter caught his attention and it took him a moment to find the source: Lilly. She was dancing freely with his mother and a couple of other women. Her red hair was gleaming in the firelight and her pale skin stood out against that of her dancing companions. For a moment Ardeth’ s breath caught in his throat as he watched her dance. She was such an exotic appearance between his people, but her flawless movements gave the impression that she had danced with them a hundred times. The absurd wish to stand up and dance with her shot threw him but he urged it down. He was the chieftain of the twelve tribes, he could not just stand up and dance with a girl, especially not a foreign girl without sending out a clear message.

Although he thought a while later, as he watched one of his men ask her to dance, that might not be a bad thing. With an uncomfortable knot in his stomach that felt too much like jealously in his opinion he watched them dance and cursed his own cowardice. Every deed had consequences but the most regretful ones were those you allowed to pass by in the first place.

  
 


	12. Chapter 9: Deir-el-Bahari

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter before I visited the Hatshepsut temple myself. The pictures and drawings in the internet were a great help but the reality of the temple is a bit differnt so please forgive me that some discriptions are not really acurate. 
> 
> Out of all the temples and places I visited I liked the Hatshepsut temple the best. It is breathtaking and with evey step you take upwards you wonder how it was possible to built something like that out of rocks and sand.  
> And the view on top is fantastic.

Chapter nine: Deir-el-Bahari

_One and a half weeks later:_

  
“I wasn't asking, Ardeth. I will come with you. This time I won't be left behind!” Lilly snapped while she continued to saddle her horse. Well his horse, but that insignificant fact had not stopped her from claiming the mare for herself. Not to mention, that obviously nobody had dared to stop her from doing as she pleased. She could be rather intimidating, like a Queen.

  
Sighing deeply Ardeth tried to keep his irritation in check. He had spent the last week, trying to stop those insane Europeans from getting their hands on the second disk. Unsuccessfully. The last thing he needed right now, was that stubborn woman accompanying him to Deir el Bahri. How was he supposed to do his job if he was constantly worrying about her safety? He had enough on his plate already and her presence would only distract him.

  
Wearily he watched her filling her saddlebag, while she muttered unintelligibly in that crass language she seemed to use whenever she was extremely angry. German he presumed.

  
His thoughts wavered from the woman in front of him towards the foreign Lord who was so determined to destroy the world. How was it that this Baron Weißenburg had such explicit knowledge about the location of the sun disks? It was supposed to be a secret that no one outside his tribe should know. The medallion was older and might have been mentioned in some old scripts or tomb inscription. At least that was the explanation he had come up with. But the disks were the key to Sekhmet resting place and only a select few had ever been told about them.

  
The Great Queen Hatshepsut constructed them and made sure they were hidden safely, after she had changed the location of the Eye. Other as her predecessors she realised that the Eye of Ra was a threat. One that could easily be used against Egypt, if its power fell into the wrong hands.

  
So how could this Lord know where to search for the pieces of the disk? A complete outsider!

  
Once more, his eyes landed on the woman in front of him. Technically she was an outsider herself, but her knowledge of his culture and history had surprised him time and again. Much like Evelyn and Rick had. Fate joined him with the most interesting company whenever secrets of Egypt's past seemed to surface again. Who knows, maybe she was the reincarnation of Hatshepsut herself, he mused and grimaced instantly. She sure enough could act like a queen when she was in the mood. Like now.

  
“Where to?” Somewhere during his musings shehad mounted her horse and was regarding him with a look that left no doubt that she would be following him. With or without his consent. Sighing he accepted his fate.

  
“Deir el-Bahari.”

  
“I guess that makes sense, there is a Hathor chapel inside the Mortuary of Hatshepsut, if I remember correctly.” Lilly mused, once again impressing him with her knowledge. It was only then that he realised that he had never told her about the disks.

  
“Why does it make sense?” He asked suspiciously.

  
For a moment she looked at him as if he were a little slow in the head. “Well, it was you who told me that my medallion supposedly has the power to control the Eye of Ra. Legend has it that it was Hathor who was turned into Sekhmet. Whatever you are looking for is probably linked to the medallion.” That was actually a very acute conclusion.  
“I'm not looking for anything. I'm trying to protect it.”

  
“And what exactly is it?”

  
By now they were both waiting for the others to join them and he was debating with himself how much he should tell her, before he finally asked: “Have you ever heard about the sun disk of Hatshepsut?”

  
By the look on her face he could tell that she had not. “I told you about the origin of the medallion; how Ra made it with the help of a mortal.” Lilly nodded and he continued.

“This man later became Pharaoh and guardian of the feared one. For many centuries the threat of the creature alone sufficed to have Egypt's enemies tremble in fear. Over the years the treat was forgotten until a Pharaoh rediscovered the secret and dared to use it against his enemies. The world trembled in fear once again and it soon became clear that Sekhmet was much too dangerous even to the wielder of the medallion. Hatshepsut, daughter of the Pharaoh, convinced her father to lock the creature away once again. During her own reign she put the creature in a secret place which could only be found with the help of a disk that showed its location. She split the disk in three parts and hid them well. The Medjai were oath-bound to protect the disks, not only from Egypt's enemies but from everyone insane enough to awaken the Dreadful One, once again.”

  
Just like they had been oath-bound to prevent Imhotep from rising, Ardeth thought frustrated. Although they had defeated him in the end, they had failed their oath. After all, the mummy had not roamed the earth once but twice. Now it looked like they would fail again. And once again it was him, who would be held responsible.

  
“So this is what you are trying to protect. The parts of the disk?” He nodded. “Do your people still know where they are hidden?”

  
“Yes we do, unfortunately it seems that this Lord Weißenburg is well aware of their hiding places as well.”

  
“But how can that be? I assume that the Medjai aren't very forthcoming with information like that.”

  
Ardeth snorted. “No indeed, we are not and to answer your question; we don't know. He was able to get his hands on the disk that was hidden in Karnak, as well as the on in the Dendera Temple Complex.” He did not tell her that he had failed to stop those foreigners form getting their hands on the disk. It was much too embarrassing to admit. “We hope to stop him before he is able to get the third.”

  
Lilly nodded in understanding, though Ardeth was not sure if she really understood. He had to admit, for a foreigner she had an astonishing knowledge about his country and its history. But she lacked faith and Ardeth doubted that she really believed the old myths to be true.

  
He could not really hold that against her. She had been raised in a different world with different beliefs. And she had not been here when they fought against Imhotep or the Scorpion king and the army of Anubis. Had she seen what he had seen, she would tremble in fear for what lay before them if this Lord Weißenburg released the Dreadful One from her cage.

  
He prayed to all gods that they wouldn't be too late this time.

* * *

  
The problem with Egyptian temples was that it was nearly impossible to reach one without being noticed. If Baron Weißenburg and his men had already arrived at Deir-el-Bahari they would be able to see everyone who approached them. Furthermore it was late afternoon, and the bright afternoon sun robbed them of any chance to remain unnoticed.

  
Lilly had asked Ardeth if it would not be better to wait, until the sun went down, but he insisted that it was too much of a risk to wait. She could understand why he wanted to reach the temple as soon as possible, but she still had a bad feeling about it.

  
However her worry was promptly pushed aside as she got her first real look at the temple complex before her. Until now she had been too far away and the architecture of the temples fitted so perfectly in its environment that Lilly could only guess its location.

  
Now she stared in awe at the giant temple complex that spread before her. Built under the reign of different Kings and Queens during the eleventh and eighteenth dynasty, it was an impressive structure of ancient Egyptian architecture. Although her father had told her about it and its fantastic structure she felt a bit overwhelmed now that she was here.

  
The southern part of Deir-el-Bahari contained the Mortuary temple of Mentuhotep which wasn't as well preserved as the Mortuary of Hatshepsut to its right. The Tutmosis III temple wasn't visible form her standpoint, but she knew it was located behind the other two.

  
Their destination was the Hatshepsut temple, with the Hathor chapel, as it was the resting place of the third disk. How Wilhelm would know about the location she did not know, but it obviously had something to do with the medallion. After all before Aden snatched it from under his nose, he owned it for some time. How was it possible for a European man to get his hands on a relic so old and dangerous that nobody beside the Medjai should even know it existed?

  
Pondering over the mystery she followed Ardeth and the eight other Medjai warriors towards their destination. It took them quite some time until they were standing at the entrance and Lilly had trouble keeping her mouth shut. The first ramp, which was not much more than a heightened footpath lead them onto the first out of three courts. The second and third ramp, were massive, broad and easily allowed four of them to ride beside each other. Lilly was torn between rushing forward to see more of the beautiful temple and slow down, so she could get a better look at the things around her. All the while she tried to remember what her father had taught her about Deir-el Bahari, which had been one of his favourite temples due to its outstanding architecture.

  
“Djeser-djeseru” she repeated the ancient name of the temple that suddenly popped into her mind and nearly squeaked when she heard Ardeth's voice beside her.

  
“You know far too much for a foreigner.”

  
“What is that supposed to mean?”

  
“Only that there are a lot of people who know far less about their own country than you know about mine.”

  
“Is that a bad thing?” Lilly was not sure how to interpret his answer. It was not the first time he commented on her knowledge. Usually she took great pleasure at the look of pleasant surprise that would cover his face when she said something he did not expect an outsider to know. However most of his face was covered by his turban at the moment and from the sound of his voice she somehow had the feeling that he was irritated with her. His eyes scrutinized her intensely before he finally replied.

  
“No, not at all.”

  
She was just about to reply, when a loud bang interrupted them. Due to the stony precipice around them the echo was enormous and for the life of her, Lilly had no idea which direction it came from. It was not before she heard the shouts of the Medjai in front of them that her focus snapped back to them and she realised what it was that she had heard.

  
A gunshot.

  
But it was too late. One of the Medjai fell out of his saddle and before she had time to do anything, another bang echoed through the air.

  
“Get down!” Ardeth yelled. Luckily that thought came to her mind as well and she was already dismounting her horse, which showed little fealty and fled as soon as it was freed from its burden. She could not hold that against it. If she could, she would do the same. Unfortunately they were still on the ramp, nearly on the second court, which effectively meant they made a perfect target for the sniper. Beside the horses, which were all trying to follow her mare and the lines of Medjai before her, there was not much she could hide behind. The line of steps in the middle of the ramp was too shallow to offer any protection and they were far too high to jump down the sides.

  
Screams, yelling and further gunshots had her jumping in fright, and that nearly cost her her life, as a bullet hit a spot only inches away from her head. Though she had witnessed a fair share of brawls, she had never been part of a conflict where fire weapons had been used. Aside from the robbery at the museum, but as no one was killed in that event, it did not really count. This was completely different and Lilly had no idea how to act. Which was a disturbing novelty for her.

  
Obviously Ardeth had more experience with such situations and was shouting orders around. He wanted them to crawl upwards onto the next court. Was he insane?

  
“Lilly, if I give the command you will count to five before you follow the rest of us. Then you will hurry upwards. You must try to reach the pillars on the back side of the court, they will provide you shelter.”

  
She looked at him with big frightened eyes and it took her a moment to realise what he had said. Count to five. He was willing to make himself and everybody else a target so she might have a better chance to reach their goal. Fear gripped her and she tried to protest.

  
“Ardeth, no! You can't...”

  
“You will do as I say,” he interrupted her firmly. “And whatever you do, do not stop! Keep running!”

  
For a change she decided to do exactly what he asked of her.

* * *

  
Ardeth knew it had been risky to approach the temple during daylight, but his fear of losing the last disk to his enemy made him act rashly. Two of his men had already lost their lives and it was not too far-fetched to assume a lot more would follow. He included, but he would be damned if he allowed any harm come to Lilly. He owed her that much. At least that was what he told himself.

  
“Go!” he yelled and followed the rest of his men, who hurried upwards on the steps, while they tried to make themselves as small as possible. Even before they reached the end of the ramp another gunshot could be heard, followed quickly by another which confirmed his suspicion about the number of marksmen.

  
Cursing under his breath, he jumped onto the middle court and started to run. There was no time to look left or right, even though he was tempted to turn around to see if Lilly was behind him. The air was filled with the echoes of the gunfire and the shouts of his men.

  
The Hathor chapel was located on the far left side of the second court and extended deep into the mountain. Though the men currently shooting at them had obviously taken position on the upper court, it was more than likely that there were more inside the chapel. The sensible thing would have been to run to the right, towards the Anubis chapel as it was most unlikely that any strangers would make a stand there. But while that might have provided them safety it would have put them in a blind alley. So without much of a choice he tried to reach the Punt Colonnade on the left side, which were positioned between the ramp and the chapel. The multitude of pillars would provide a minimum of shelter.

  
Breathing heavily he reached one of the artfully engraved pillars and positioned himself so that it was between him and the temple. His lungs burned and he leant heavily against the stone behind him while he watched Manuk and Malek reach the Colonnade nearly at the same time. Hurriedly his eyes roamed the middle court for the rest of his people and felt his throat tighten when he saw the dead bodies of three of his fellow Medjai.

  
“Damn that woman,” he cursed suddenly when he noticed Lilly’s gleaming red hair much farther from his position than she should have been. Instead of doing what he told her -making a run for it- she was supporting one of his men who was obviously limping from a shot in his leg. Dread formed a tight knot in his stomach, as he watched her crossing the court much slower than she could have without her burden. As much as he admired her irrational need to help everyone, he really wished she would think about her own safety more often. Another gunshot pierced the air and barely missed its target. As they were the last ones standing out there, they wouldn't be so lucky for long.

  
“Lilly, hurry up!” Ardeth yelled in a mix of anger and fear and even over the distance he could see her glaring at him. He was seriously considering to leave his hiding place and help her carry Ali as two shots fell nearly simultaneous and this time they did not miss.

  
Helplessly he watched her fall to the ground.

The discription is in german, but I think you get a good idea of the ground plot anyway.

Hathor temple in Deir-el-Bahari. Left: entrance. Right: facade as you see it when you step onto the plateau.


	13. Chapter 10: The third disk

Chapter ten: The third disk

“No!” Ardeth yelled and was about to run towards Lilly when a pair of strong hands held him back. Maruk who must have seen his intent, shook his head rapidly.

  
“It's too dangerous, chief!”

  
Horrified he starred over to where she had fallen. Ali, who she had been helping across the court, must have been hit as well as he was making no attempts to raise. His massive body was spread over her much smaller frame and he could not see much more than her gleaming auburn hair.

  
“Ardeth, it is too late, you can't help them,” Malek's voice was tense and although Ardeth knew that he was right, he had a hard time ripping his eyes away from the motionless bodies in the middle of the court. She could not be dead. Not her! His mind was not willing to accept the unthinkable.

  
“Ardeth,” this time it was Maruk who tried to shake him out of his shock.

  
Swallowing tightly he tried to focus on the reason why they were here in the first place, but it was nearly impossible to get the image of Lilly out of his head. He should never have allowed her to accompany him. Deep down, he knew that it had never been his choice. She had made it unmistakeably clear that she would not be left behind. Nonetheless he felt responsible for her death.

  
Using all the willpower he possessed, Ardeth forced himself to rip his eyes from her lifeless form and look at his men. He was here to protect the disk and regardless of his personal feelings he could not abandon his duty. With a nod at Maruk and Malek, who both looked relieved that he had come to his senses, he looked over at the chapel.

  
The disc was hidden behind a secret trap door. Ardeth still had no idea, how Lord Weißenburg could know about it, but given their situation it was more than likely that he was already in possession of it. Probably hiding inside the Hathor temple, waiting for them.

  
Taking a deep breath, he spoke of his concerns towards his men. Both of them agreed with his worries but like him, felt that they did not have a choice. Carefully they made their way forward, using the pillars as a barrier between them and any possible danger until they stopped before the entrance of the chapel. The front side of the sanctum consisted of the characteristic Hathor columns, which provided them with further shelter. Unfortunately the back side of the temple was build inside the coarse rock and the only way inside was through a small hallway. It had been some time since his last visit to Deir-el-Bahari but if his memory served him right, the inner sanctum was not very large and did not offer many places to hide.

  
Ardeth felt like running into an obvious trap, but what were his options? Without the gunmen behind them he might have been tempered to stay where he was and simply wait for the others to leave the sanctum. But in their current situation that would leave them surrounded by enemies.

  
Careful and slowly they moved into the cave. With a frown Ardeth took the last step into the inner sanctum and looked around. They were alone. Confused he walked around in the small cavern, but there was nothing that would provide enough shelter to hide someone from their view. His frown deepened. Something was not right, but they had no time to waste.

  
Hurriedly he stepped towards the back wall and inspected the paintings. Usually secret doors could be opened by pressing the right combination of key points. Symbols like sundisks, eyes or the Ankh were the most typical keys, but there were others less known variations. Given the importance of the disk, it was not much of a surprise that it was carefully hidden. Thanks to the role of his people he knew what he had to look for though.

  
Much to his surprise it was not just an alcove that opened but a door. Suspicious he starred into the darkness before him unsure how to proceed. From personal experience he knew how skilled his ancestors were when it came to traps and he felt little desire to find out what this place held in storage for him. Unfortunately the choice was not his to make. Before he could get over his uneasiness an unfamiliar voice sounded up behind him.

  
“For a man who is supposed to be dead, you are quite healthy.” At the sound of the haughty voice behind him, Ardeth whirled around and found six guns directed at him and his men. Automatically his hand reached for his own weapon, but the grey haired man in the middle shook his head.

  
“I wouldn't do that if I were you. You remember what happened the last time? I assure you, this time you won't survive.” With his tailored robes, shiny shoes and handmade crane, the man in front of him did not look like a ruthless killer, but Ardeth did not doubted for a moment that he would make good of his words.

  
“Wilhelm Weißenburg I presume?”

  
“Baron Wilhelm Weißenburg” He corrected him and Ardeth wished he could punch the arrogant sneer out of his face.

  
“But enough with the introduction, we don't have all day. If you would please get the disk for me.” He pointed his cane at the door behind him. “Oh and before you get any stupid ideas, drop your weapons please. Slowly!”

  
What should he do? He could not simply hand the last disk over to him. On the other side, Ardeth was pretty sure it would not change much if he refused. Weißenburg could simply send one of his goons to receive it.

  
“If you need a bit more motivation, I'm happy to provide it for you.” Before Ardeth had even time to react his opponent fired his gun and Malek sunk to his knees with a shocked expression.

  
“No!” But it was too late. Like Maruk he tried to reach their wounded brother, but they were quickly stopped by half a dozen guns.

  
“Ah, ah, ah...You are running in the wrong direction chief, or do you need any more motivation?” Weißenburg's voice had turned colder than ice while he pointed the gun in Maruk's direction. “And now – my disk!”

  
For a moment, Ardeth remained where he was and starred at Malek's agonizing form on the ground, before he dropped his weapons and forced himself towards the cave behind the wall. Anger boiled inside him as well as despair. After everything he had been through over the last several years, all the threads he had stopped and dangers he had survived, this was how things would end? The Medjai who had stopped Imhotep from enslaving the world, had to watch a foreign Baron unleash the most fearsome creature the gods ever created? No, it was not fair!

  
But what was ever fair? Ardeth thought bitterly. Losing his father when he was much too young to lead his tribe? Being responsible to stop the damned creature from raising again? Living with the great losses the Medjai tribes had endured? Watching Lilly die? His heart constricted painfully as he thought about the vibrant young woman who should not have died today.

  
“I need a torch.” He declared and forced himself to stop thinking about those things. Without much further comment, one of the men handed a torch over to him and shoved him into the pitch black hallway. It took a moment for his eyes to adapt to the torchlight.

  
The tunnel before him was narrow and not very high, so that he had to duck his head. Fortunately it was only a few feet long before he stepped into a slightly taller room that was much smaller than he expected it to be. If he stretched his arms he would be able to touch both sides, so where was the disk? He should be able to see it, but there was nothing just raw stone. Frowning he stepped further into the cave and promptly stumbled over a crack in the ground. Unable to stop himself from falling he just barely managed to turn around, so he landed on his back and not his face. Groaning Ardeth tried to ignore the pain that shot through his back but that was easier said than done. He heard Lord Weißenburg impatiently calling out for him, wanting to know what took him so long.

  
Damned bastard, he thought while he waited for the pain to subside. Luckily the torch had fallen far enough to his left that he did not set his clothes up in flames. He grasped it and was about to get up, when something got his attention. Slowly he raised the flame as far above him as he could in his current position and admired the artwork above his head.

  
While the rest of the stony room was plain and unspectacular the celling was not. It showed the moment where Ra, disappointed about mankind’s betrayal, changed Hathor into Sekhmet and allowed her to slaughter them. The disk loomed over her head like a crown. He turned the torch slightly and noticed that there was more. In fact the whole celling was painted. There were scenes that showed what happened before Hathor was turned. At least he interpreted it that way. One picture showed a lot of gods gathered around Ra.

  
Ardeth reorganised Osiris, Nephthys, Path, Nechbet, Toth and Isis. Even Seth, Anubis and Sobek were among them. The next picture showed Hathor and Ra. The goddess was crying but Ra looked unimpressed by her distress. Then came the scene he had already seen: Hathor turned into Sekhmet, the wild beast and was send to annihilate mankind. Followed by scenes of how Ra tried to stop her with the red dyed beer, her escape and how Ra created the medallion with the help of a mortal to tame the goddess. But it didn’t end there. There were other pictures that were not that easy to decipher. Ra crying. Hathor inside the lion-goddess Sekhmet. A man kneeling wrestling…no hugging her. Ardeth frowned and tried to get a better look at the last picture. Why would anyone want to hug Sekhmet?

  
“Chieftain Bay,” he suddenly heard the annoying voice of Lord Weißenburg. “I thought my warning was enough to let you understand that I’m serious. You have one minute. I don’t have to tell you what will happen if I don’t have the disk by than!”

  
Once again Ardeth’s eyes wandered to the middle scene on the ceiling. It showed exactly what would happen if he allowed the disk to get into the wrong hands. Sekehmet would be set free and humankind would be erased from earth. The madman in the altar room might think he could control it, but even with the medallion it would be highly dangerous to set her free. After all, there was a reason why others thought The Dreadful One had to be hidden. He could tell that he could not find the disk. Its hidden place was simple but effective. For a moment he played with the thought but decided against it. Lord Weißenburg would kill them and carefully search the room afterwards. No it was better to hand it over and hope that they would get away with their lives, so that they could try to stop him later one. Regardless how unrealistic such thoughts were.

  
He was a warrior and he would die like one, if he had to. Getting back on his feet he reached for the disk and marched back through the tunnel and blinked as the harsh light hit his eyes.

  
“Ah, I knew I could count on you!” Lord Weißenburg sounded pleased with himself, but Ardeth ignored him and looked over to where Malek lay. He was not groaning and withering on the ground as before, but was still alive from what he could see. His eyes looked with Maruk’s who looked as forlorn as Ardeth felt, before he finally concentrated on the man before him.

  
“My disk, please.”

  
“It was never yours,” Ardeth told him but handed the treasure over into his outstretched hands. “Do you even know what you are trying to unleash?”

  
“Oh please, spare me the preachment.” Weißenburg sneered at him while he grasped the disk and looked it over with an admiring glance, before one of his goons stepped forward with a small wooden chest and he locked it away.

  
“You might think that you will be able to control her but that is a lie. She can’t be controlled!”

  
“At one time your country has been the most powerful civilisation known to mankind. Armies withered in fear by the mere thought of you. You built monuments that outlasted thousands of years. Your knowledge in mathematics, medicine and construction made you superior for centuries and now look at you! Instead of embracing your supremacy you denied it!”

  
“With great power comes great responsibility! My people accepted that!” Even in his ears his answer sounded stupid. Egypt’s history was full of extraordinary people, but not all of them were known for their great responsibility or sense of moral.

  
“Great power is for those who know how to use it!” Weißenburg responded with the same haughty smile that had made Ardeth wish to punch him earlier. “Be assured I know exactly what to do with it. And now…as great as it was to chat with you, I have to go. There are timelines to keep.” He wiggled his gun and it took Ardeth a moment to understand what he wanted him to step back into the tunnel. Maruk was pushed into the same direction and Ardeth could see that his friend was itching to take action, but he shook his head. They were hopelessly outnumbered.

  
“I would say: Until we meet again, but I fear that would be a lie!” Weißenburg chuckled and twirled his cane around in a carefree gesture, before he ordered one of his goons to close the trap door. Helplessly Ardeth had to watch as the stone wall slid back into its place, burring him and Maruk alive. This was not how he imagined his end. A thought that had crossed his mind more than once these last few weeks. In another situation, he would have laughed about it. Now he felt more like crying not because of his inevitable death, but because of all the things he had missed out.

  
Now it was a bit late to regret things which he had never done. With a heavy sigh he sunk down, leant back against the stony wall and closed his eyes.

  
“Chief?” Maruk’s hesitant voice ripped him from his thoughts. “What are we doing now?”

  
“We wait.”

  
“For what?”

  
Our death. Ardeth kept his thought to himself and was glad that Maruk could not see his face in the darkness. Silence settled between them and made it easy to return to his regrets.

Suddenly a sound disrupted the silence. Ardeth could not say how much time had passed since they were locked up. It might have been mere minutes but it felt like hours and it took him a moment to realize what it was.

  
The door was opening.


	14. Interlude 2: The Eye of Ra

Interlude II: The eye of Ra

The throne-room was silent and abandoned by any except for one. An old man, fitted in the most expensive robes of linen and gold, was sitting on the giant throne. His thin body nearly looked laughable seated on the massive chair. Like a child who played with the things of his parents.

  
The man was neither a child nor would anybody dare to laugh at him. At least openly.

  
He was Ra. King over gods and mankind alike.

  
But he had become old and careless in the process. There were many among his own kind who waited for their chance to take the throne from him. Ra saw them linger, calculate and plan their next steps. He might be old but he was not stupid. Unfortunately he had concentrated so much on his own people that he underestimated humankind. They were weak and unknowing compared to the gods, but their mass and ruthless nature made them dangerous.

  
There had been much protest when he had decided to allow humankind to mingle with them and live side by side. Many had warned him that they would betray him, more had sneered at the mere thought of living with a race they saw as underdeveloped and undeserving. But Ra had decided and his word was law.

  
He should have listened. But he had been arrogant. Humankind had always fascinated him and he truly believed it was possible for all of them to live in peace. All the more hurt and angry – no livid – did he feel when he heard of their scheming against him. They had left him with little choice and he had called all the gods to decide their fate. Unsurprisingly his people pledged for ultimate punishment. Death.

  
The tribunal decided to annihilate humankind once and for all. In his anger he had agreed without second thought. Their hubris deserved nothing less.

  
But now, days after the tribunal had spoken, his harsh decision filled him with sorrow. Not only was mankind slaughtered it was done so by his own daughter.

  
The tribunal had decided that it should be Hathor who would be send as their enforcer. Or should he say it was Isis. The clever, power hungry witch had tricked him and used his fury against him. She had always been jealous of Hathors beauty and position as his favourite.

  
His beautiful, sweet natured daughter who could find pleasure in the smallest things and bring happiness with her mere presence had pledged him to find someone else but by then it was too late.

  
Ra had agreed and was forced to stand by his word. He would never forget the look of betrayal in her eyes when he turned her flawless feminine form into that of a wild beast.  
Sekhmet was born. They called her the Eye of Ra which he deemed fitting, given that his precious tear was captured inside the Eye.

  
On the first day he had watched impassively, how Sekhmet raged among the mortals, on the second day pity started to grow inside him and push away his anger. The third day he spent trying to convince himself that he did the right thing. On the fourth day he stepped in and tried to stop the madness, but his trick failed and Sekhmet escaped. The fifths and sixth day was spent creating the medallion with Abu a mortal who was desperate to save his kin, while other gods tried and failed to capture Sekhmet. On the seventh day the medallion was formed and Abu was able to control the beast.

  
And now, he the great god Ra had to realise that he was not all powerful. After Abu had brought Sekhmet before him, he tried to change her back but regardless what he tried she stayed a wild beast. Hathor seemed lost inside the lioness. Or maybe she was hiding though Ra would not know if it was to shield herself from the dreadful deeds her violent form had done or from him. Maybe she had not forgiven him and was punishing him that way. At least that was what he thought, until he overheard Isis talking to her son Horus. The deceitful witch had cursed her.

  
_"Mother what did you do?"_

  
_"Nothing that true love couldn’t overcome. She calls herself a goddess of love, does she not? It’s not my fault nobody loves her enough. Maybe she should settle in her new role, destruction suits her better than love."_

  
What kind of king was he that he did not even notice the evil scheme of one goddess? He had underestimated her and her power hungry ways. Ra knew that she wanted the throne for her son but always thought himself cleverer than her. Taking Hathor from him was a smart move. Grief could distract the most powerful of the gods and make them an easy target.

  
Unfortunately he could not simply break the curse. It was not impossible but quite dangerous to lift a curse, specially when it was placed by a skilled magician which Isis was. So the easiest way to annihilate it was to fulfil it. Isis had said that true love was necessary to lift the curse which was why he, who loved his daughter dearly, could not break it. His love was that of a father not that of a lover.

  
Maybe he could alter the curse a bit. True love was nearly unheard of, but love which held the possibility to become true, was no rarity. It just seldom grew to its full potential. So that was what he would do.

  
Slowly he got up from his throne and crossed the room. Ra had made a decision. He would seek out Hathors violent form to alter the curse so that the potential of true love would be enough to break it and then he and the rest of his kin would leave. The place of gods was not among mankind.

  
Maybe your place isn’t among them, either old man.

  
But he was not willing to give in so easily and let Isis have what she wanted. There would be a time when he had to capitulate, but that was not today.

  
Today was for Hathor. He would plant a small seed of hope for her to be freed from her curse.

  
Little did he know that it would take more than five thousand years for the seed to grow.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * A little note concerning Isis. She is known as one of the most powerful Egyptian gods. Wife of Osiris, mother of Horus. A very skilled magican and usually associated with "the good side". But there are always to sides to a deity. The myth tells that she tricked Ra into telling her his secret name, which was supposed to hold a lot of power, in trade for a cure for a snake bite (she made the snake bite him in the first place).
> 
> ** The myth says that Hathor was born from Ra's tears. Sekhmet is known as his eye. In my imagination a weeping Sehmet would display the heartbroken Hathor who is captured inside. Silly but the picuture is stuck in my head...


	15. Chapter 11: The Great Pyramid

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big surprise...Lilly is not dead

Chapter eleven: The Great Pyramid

He stared at her for so long, that Lilly started to get nervous. Was something wrong with him? As far as she could see, he looked fine.

  
“Ardeth?”

  
Very slowly, as if he were coming out of a dream he blinked, though she could not tell if it was because of the sudden light or the fact that she was standing before him. Did he think she would run away as soon as she had the chance? He should know better than that. After all that had happened over the last few weeks Ardeth should know that she would not abandon him simply because things got a bit dangerous. Well, a lot dangerous.

  
“Lilly!” The sudden call of her name ripped her from her angry thoughts, but before she could react in any way she was pulled into a very tight hug against a very hard chest. Had it not been for the vicelike arms that captured her she would not have minded her current position.

  
“You are alive!” Ardeth gasped.

  
“Alive?” She asked surprised and tried to wrestle herself out of his arms, but he kept a firm hold on her. “Of course I am alive, why would you think otherwise?”

  
Suddenly she was pushed backwards and found herself face to face with a very confused looking Medjai chief. “I saw you fall! You were hit!”

  
“Oh,” Now she understood. “No, I wasn’t shot. Ali was. I’m sorry, he… he didn’t make it. I had my arm around him, so when he went down he pulled me with him. I guess I hit my head and blacked out for a moment, because when I opened my eyes again there was nobody there. I first thought you left but then I heard a gunshot and I thought that you… God I was so terrified. I…” She stuttered and blushed as she noticed the intense stare Ardeth bestowed her with.

  
The moment she had heard the shot from the chapel, her chest had tightened with fear. Her first thought was that something happened to Ardeth, though she was not even sure where he was. On wobbly legs she had made her way towards the chapel, always careful to remain behind the pillars. From her position she was not able to see anything and could not get nearer without risking getting caught. But she could hear the Baron talking and from that she knew that Ardeth was at least alive. She was debating what she could do to help him, but could not come up with a plan that would not end with them dead. So she simply waited. What for, she was not sure at the time, but finally she watched them leave the sanctum without Ardeth or any other Medjai. There had not been any other gunshots so she was hopeful to find them unharmed.

  
As soon as she deemed it safe enough she hurried over to the temple but all she found was a huddled form on the ground. On realising it was not Ardeth, relief had washed through her body, quickly followed by shame.

  
“Malek!” The anguished cry ripped them out of their stare. Both of them whipped around towards the other men. Maruk was kneeling beside his dead friend and Lilly could feel another pang of guilt. Rationally she knew that his death was not her fault but somehow she felt that she could have done more for him and Ali. Both men had died in her arms.  
“He was the one who rescued you”, she heard herself say. “It was him who told me how to open the trap door.” Lilly wanted them to know that he used his last moments to rescue them even if that did nothing to stop the anguish.

  
With a heavy nod Ardeth accepted her words and after one last look into her face he finally stepped back, leaving her on slightly unsteady legs.  
“We have to leave”, Ardeth told them. “If we hurry, we may be able to get there in time.”

  
“Get where?”

  
“Giza.” He replied somberly.

  
“Giza? Should we not try to follow Lord Weißenburg? He did get the disk, did he not?”

  
“Yes!” It was more a snarl than an answer and Lilly realised that she should have known it was a sore subject. He probably felt responsible for losing the disks to an outsider. Hell, she felt responsible herself because she had brought the medallion back to Egypt. Without her, Lord Weißenburg would never have dared to go through with this insane world domination plan. She had heard what he said about using the power and she felt sick just thinking about it.

  
“So, why Giza?”

  
“If he knows as much about the Eye as itseems, his goal will be the pyramid of Keops.”

  
“The Eye is hidden inside the pyramid?”

  
“No, but it is said to reveal its hiding place.” Before she had a chance to ask further he had turned towards Maruk. “We must go.”

  
“No,” Maruk shook his head. “Take Lilly with you. I will bring Malek back home and alarm the others. We will meet you there.”

  
For a moment it looked like Ardeth would protest but in the end he simply nodded. Though she still had a hard time visualising The Eye of Ra, she had accepted that it posed a threat, and should not end up in the wrong hands. Best it remained hidden where it was.

* * *

  
It was over 400 miles from Deir el Bahari near Thebes to Giza. Given that it was not so long ago that they had travelled from Cairo towards Ardeth’s tribe near Abydos, she was not that ecstatic over it. This time though, they were travelling by boat. With a little luck they would be able to make the way in seven days. Hopefully that would be enough. Lord Weißenburg and his men had a few hours head start and Ardeth was convinced that they would also use the Nile route. If that was true they were on a different boat, as they were not passengers on the old steamboat the two of them had hopped on shortly before it took off. Ardeth had searched it from stern to bow. Twice, just to avoid nasty surprises.

  
There weren’t many other people on board; nonetheless they tried to keep to themselves. Not that it helped much. A young, white woman travelling alone with a Medjai warrior did raise attention. Lilly had never lost a thought about how other people might look at them. But from the spiteful comments and appalled looks it was hard to ignore that she was making a scandalous social faux pas.

  
For a moment her thoughts turned towards her mother and how shocked she would be if she could see her now. That almost made her smile, but then she tried to imagine her father’s reaction and every trace of humour left her. What would Daniel Blackmore say to the turbulent adventure her life had become? Though he was an open minded person and supported her wherever he could she doubted that he would have been happy about how she jumped from one dangerous situation into the next. As for her travel companion, she feared that he would have sided with her mother on that one.

  
Her eyes searched for Ardeth, who was standing at the railing and watching the path that lay ahead of them. Dressed in his traditional robes with his weapons wrapped around his waist and tattooed face he looked strong and mysterious. Maybe even frightening to those who did not know him, but Lilly could never be afraid of him. In the beginning she guessed she had only seen Aden in him and her mind connected him to the warm, fuzzy feelings she nourished for his father. But that felt like a lifetime ago.

  
So much had happened in the meantime. The museum robbery, him getting shot, the long way across the desert and last but not least the incident at the Hatshepsut temple. She remembered the way he had looked at her; shocked, relieved and awed as if he could not believe she was standing in front of him. Well, he was certain she had been killed... Anyway, she had been surprised by his unusual show of emotion. He had hugged her, smothered her so tightly in his arms that she had trouble to catch her breath… but it had felt great. His body was warm, strong and smelled of leather and sage. Absently her eyes wandered over his form while she remembered what he looked like without those robes covering him.

  
She could feel her cheeks heating up at her bold thoughts and of course Ardeth chose that moment to turn around and look at her. Hopefully he could not see her blush form his position. He ruined her hopes by coming over while she cursed under her breath and tried to compose herself.

  
“What will he do, now that he has the disks?”

  
Ardeth raised his eyebrows at her greeting but answered anyway while he sunk down beside her on the old wooden bench.

  
“He needs to put the three pieces together and place the complete disk on the highest point of the Great pyramid.”

  
“Yes, but why?”

  
“It is said that the rising sun will shine through the three rings and reveal Sekhmet’s hidden resting place. I don’t know the specifics of it.” He added when she opened her mouth to ask further questions. “Nowthat he is in possession of the disk and the medallion, he is able to control her. At least for a while.”

  
“What do you mean, for a while?”

  
“Do you really think that an immortal goddess with unimaginable power can permanently be controlled by a mere mortal? There was a reason why the Eye was imprisoned for all those centuries. It is incontrollable.”

  
His words reminded her that she had not told him about the part of the medallion that was still in her possession. Until now she had hesitated to tell him about it, mostly out of selfish reasons. It was probably time to change that.

  
“About the medallion,” she started while her fingers nestled around the Ankh that was hidden beneath her shirt. “There is something I should have told you.” Lilly forced herself to look at him, even though she was pretty sure he would get mad at her for not telling him sooner. His dark eyes regarded her with a watchful expression but he did not utter a word.

  
“I told you that your father gifted me with the medallion shortly before my family moved back to Germany, right?” He nodded. “I loved living in Egypt and was devastated when I was forced to leave. Your father gave me the medallion so I would have something that reminded me of the place I loved so dearly. He said, I simply had to hold it and I would feel better.” Lilly cold see that Ardeth did not understand why she was telling him this.

  
“You see, that is exactly what I did. Every time I missed this place I rubbed the medallion,” she snorted without humour. “I think there were days, especially in the beginning, when I clenched it tightly in my fist without letting it go. Germany was so different form everything I knew. It was cold, grey and everyone was so very strict and stiff. I just wanted to go home, but I couldn’t. So I did the next best thing. Holding the medallion and thinking about everything that I had to leave behind. Silly I know, but it helped me a lot.”

  
A frown had appeared on Ardeth’s forehead and she hurried to finish with her story. “Over the years I rubbed it so often that it broke in two parts. The –”

  
“What?” Ardeth snapped and looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “You broke it? You want to tell me that you destroyed the only thing that could control the beast?!”

  
“Didn’t you tell me seconds ago, that a mere mortal could never control a goddess?” She snapped at his unexpected outburst. She would have expected him to be angry that she kept the Ankh from him… not that she broke the medallion. It was not as if she had done it on purpose. And was it not a good thing, a part remained in their hands?

  
“That is not the point!” He cried. “The medallion may not control her forever but it would have been the only way to send her back into her prison, should she be released. And you-”

  
“I said I broke it! I didn’t destroy it. The Ankh came loose so I put it on a different chain.” With a quick move she pulled the plain gold chain with the Ankh over her head. “When Farouq grasped for the chain around my neck he only got the one with the medallion.” She tossed it at him before she stood up. “For a medallion made by a god, it sure as hell is of poor quality.” Seizing him with one last angry glare she left before he could see the tears welling up in her eyes.

* * *

 

_8 days later:_

They had left the boat and ridden towards their destiny until sundown before they had stopped to build a camp. That had been the day before. Ardeth had not been happy about their break, but he knew it was pointless. Even without a break, they would not have reached Giza before late afternoon.

  
Whoever put the disks on its top needed the first light of a new day to make it work. So if Baron Weißenburg was already there, they would be too late anyway. All they could do was pray that the others were not that far ahead of them. Rubbing over the Ankh that was hidden under his tunic, he hoped that it would be enough. Sighing he patted the pendant one last time and shook his head. How could she keep something so important from him? His eyes searched for Lilly who was riding beside him, staring at the rising sun in front of them. She had not said much, since their heated argument on board of the ship. At first he had been glad, as he was still angry with her, but the longer she remained silent the more he regretted his outburst. It was not her fault that The Dreadful One was about to be released. If anything, it was his people’s fault, who should have watched better over the medallion, so that his father would not have been forced to steal it back. Maybe Aden would still be alive then.

  
Sighing he pushed those thoughts aside. It would help nobody to dwell on ‘what if’s’, but his mind obviously couldn’t stop thinking about all those possibilities.  
What if the medallion had never been robbed?

  
What if his father was still alive?

  
What if Lilly had never returned to Egypt?

  
What if the medallion had not been broken in two parts?

  
What if Sekhmet was set free to roam the earth without any possibility to control her?

  
It was the last question that plagued his mind. What if the medallion did not work? He truly believed that someone as powerful as The Eye of Ra could not be controlled by any simple person for long, but he hoped it would be long enough to banish her into her prison, should she be released. Of course he would have to be in possession of the complete medallion, but at least it provided the slip of a chance.

  
Frustrated he stared at the pyramids that got larger and larger with every step of his horse. They would reach the Great Pyramid during the late afternoon, which would allow them to mingle with the tourists that often visited Giza in large crowds. That way they would be able to look out for Lord Weißenburg without raising too much suspicion. With a little luck they might be able to get the disks back, before they could be used to locate Sekhmet’s prison. Although he had little hope for that, he swore to himself that he would do everything in his power to prevent Sekhmet from being freed.

  
Or die trying.

* * *

 

A few hours later it appeared as if dying was a very realistic option. Once again he was held at gunpoint, while Lilly was screaming and writhing in the strong grip of one of her attackers, who had trouble holding her without crashing down the small plateau on top of the pyramid.

  
How could everything go wrong so quickly?

  
Everything had looked so promising at first. They had spotted Lord Weißenburg yesterday afternoon and reasoned that he had not had the chance to put the disk on top of the pyramid. Unfortunately they could not be sure that he had the disk with him, so a robbery was not an option. They hid in one of the many secret tunnels Ardeth knew of, and waited until it was nearly sunrise before they left their hideout to climb the pyramid. Even before they were spotted, Ardeth had realised that their plan was really dumb. But what choice did they have? All they could hope for was to get at least a part of the disk and destroy it.

  
Sadly it didn’t look like they would succeed any time soon.

  
“Enough!” It was the first time that Ardeth heard Baron Weißenburg raise his voice which was probably the reason why everyone listened to him. For a long moment nobody said anything and Ardeth used it to take a quick look around. The sun was not more than a slight red shimmer in the background, spending just enough light to identify the others.  
“Once again you seem to have tricked death, Mr. Bay.” Lord Weißenburg spoke up. “And it seems Miss Blackmore has learned a thing or two from you. I must say I’m happy to see you alive my dear.” He turned to Lilly who had finally stopped struggling and glared at the Baron.

  
“I can’t say the same about you!” She snapped back, which made him relax a bit. If she still could come up with snippy replays, she was fine.

  
“Tsk, tsk, Lilly! What an ugly thing to say! But enough with the chitchat, unfortunately we don’t have much time.” His eyes wandered to the horizon before he focused once again on him. “Now that you are here, maybe you are able to help us with a little problem. You see, yesterday we came up here and did everything exactly the way we were supposed to. And guess what happened? Nothing!”

  
Ardeth’s glance flickered to the golden bar with the three united sun disks on its end which was attached in the middle of the pyramids top plateau. He had no idea how Weißenburg got his hands on the bar, but he should not be too surprised, after all he had managed to get the disks as well. And what did he mean “nothing happened”? Confused, Ardeth stared at him.

  
“What do you mean nothing happened?”

  
“Don’t play dumb with me, Medjai. There is something I’m missing. Something that isn’t described in the scrolls. Probably some kind of safety measure and you will tell me what it is! Otherwise,” here he stopped and pointed a gun at Lilly. “I will make sure she won’t survive this time!”

  
Ardeth tensed. Instantly his eyes searched for Lilly’s and he had to fight the urge to run towards her. He would not make three steps before they shot him. Worst of all he had no idea what the man was speaking about, and even if he did he could not tell him. Their lives were a small sacrifice if that meant the Dreadful One would remain hidden. But the thought of Lilly dying made him sick.

  
“I have no idea why it isn’t working.”

  
A gunshot echoed through the air and made him wince. Obviously he did not believe him.

  
“Mr. Bay!” Lord Weißenburg hissed. “As much as I enjoy your show of stupid bravery, I haven’t much time!”

  
“The Eye of Ra is one of the oldest secrets of the Medjai. Many centuries have passed and a lot of knowledge has been lost. I do not know why the disks don’t work,” he explained patiently. “But even if I did, I wouldn’t tell you!”

  
“Then you are of little use to me!” The gun was pointed in his direction, but before another bullet could leave its barrel, Lilly stopped him.

  
“No!” She yelled and Ardeth could see the desperate look on her face. “Wait, I think I know why it isn’t working!” What was she talking about?

  
“Lilly!” He yelled in a warning voice. If she really knew why the disks did not reveal Sekhmet’s hiding place she had to keep it to herself. “Don’t tell him! I’m not worth it. Nobody is! You can’t risk her getting free!” But even while he spoke he knew she would not listen. She was shaking her head, with a frightened look across her face while she stared at him.

  
“Oh do tell, my dear!”

  
“It’s the height.” Lilly rushed out. “Originally the pyramid was much higher.” Ardeth groaned. She was right. The Great Pyramid had lost a few meters over the centuries. “That’s one reason why the top isn’t pointed any more. The pyramidion is missing.” Once again Ardeth was astonished about her knowledge. It was unsettling that she knew more than many of his tribe.

  
“Pyramidion?” Lord Weißenburg wanted to know.

  
“It’s the uppermost piece or capstone of a pyramid. Nobody knows what happened to the Keops pyramidion or when.”

  
“Interesting,” Weißenburg mumbled without lowering the gun. “So we simply must raise the bar higher in the air. How much higher?”

  
“I don’t know, a few meters.” Lilly admitted and hastily added “I really have no idea” when she noticed Lord Weißenburg aiming his gun a bit higher. “How should I know how much height was lost since Hatshepsut constructed the disks? Or if the pyramidion was still there during her reign.”

  
The Lord seemed to accept that and nodded finally. “Very well. I guess we simply have to find out. Smith,” he spoke to the man beside Lilly and eyed the horizon with a critical expression. Sunrise was only one or two minutes away. “Get her on your shoulders!”

  
“What?” Lilly asked.

  
“Our only available resource at the moment is our body height. Or should I say yours. Get up on his shoulders grasp the bar and try to get the right position!”  
Lilly did not move and stared hesitantly between Smith and Weißenburg. But the latter was not in a patient mood. “Now!” He yelled and fired the gun a second time. “Or this time Mr. Bay won’t come back from the dead!”

 

Helplessly he watched as Lilly tried to find a firm stand on Smith’s shoulders while she held the bar with the disks as high above her head as her arms would allow. It was a ridiculous picture but Ardeth feared the idea had some merit.

* * *

  
Three minutes later the sun finally peaked over the horizon and Ardeth witnessed his fears come true. Lilly had finally managed to get the right angle and suddenly the disk started to come alive. Even from his position he could see the disks rotating before the bright projection of an all too familiar monument appeared in the air. But that could not be…

  
“It seems that Queen Hatshepsut had a secret humorous streak.” Lord Weißenburg chuckled while he stared at the perfect image of the Great Sphinx, whose life-sized real body was just a stone’s throw away. The image still possessed a nose and its body had not suffered a few thousand years of sand and heat. Then the picture changed and in a rapid motion a series of different scenes was portrayed before their eyes. A close up of the Sphinx front legs and the altar between them, a secret door, a tunnel with detailed paintings on the walls, stairs, a great chamber leading into a temple with artful sculpted pillars, arranged in a circle around another altar with a golden box on it.  
A moment later the images vanished.

  
“That can’t be true,” Ardeth mumbled more to himself. He knew that originally Sekhmet’s prison was not so much a real place but the medallion forcing her to rest. For many centuries she was frozen in time, watching over Egypt and reminding everyone of the terror she once spread over the land. Then something happened and she was banished into a secret prison. Later Keops built the Great Sphinx as a reminder. For his people and his enemies alike.

  
Queen Hatshepsut did have an odd kind of humour to hide the Eye inside the Sphinx. He had heard of a secret temple under it, but even his tribe did not know much about it anymore. But before he could try to remember more about it, Lord Weißenburg interrupted his thoughts.

  
“Well Mr Bay, I fear you finally outlived your usefulness! I think we can manage without you from here!”

  
The moment he realised the meaning of those words, it was already too late. He heard the gunfire, Lilly’s loud scream and his own anguished groan before he had time to react in any way.

  
Than he was falling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ardeth dying...again. It's starting to be a bad habit.
> 
>  
> 
> The Capstone of the Great Pyramid:  
> To this day it is unclear if the Capstone was stolen, destroyed or if it ever existed.  
> It is quite possible that it was never finished, as a lot of visitors to the pramides from the past (reportedly as far back as the time of Christ) reported that the Pyramid lacked a capstone.  
> Others say that the Capstone was out of pure gold and it was stolen. (which could not have been easy given the weight and the location, but who knows?)


	16. Chapter 12: Inside the lion's den

Chapter twelve: Inside the lion’s den

Wilhelm realized that he had made a tactical mistake as soon as their little group stood in front of the giant body of the Great Sphinx. The disk had shown him where to look for the door, but even after five hours of searching they could not find it. It had been premature to kill the Medjai as he might have known how do to it, much like he did in Deir-el-Bahari. That left him with one other option.

  
“Lilly my dear, don’t you think you are a bit overdramatic?” His gaze shifted over her huddled form on the ground. Since they left the Great Pyramid she had not uttered a word or moved without being forced to do so. At first her nearly apathetic condition had been handy as she did not make any attempt to flee or fight them which suited him fine. But looking at her now, he felt a hint of guilt in the pit of his stomach. He liked her, she was adventurous, not afraid to speak her mind and possessed a quick wit. All traits that were not much appreciated in respectable society. However, after a lifetime in the company of proper females he appreciated one who had a back bone.

  
“You should really take better care of yourself, my dear.” He admonished but she still did not even look in his direction which angered him. He needed her to snap out of it. If someone was able to locate that damned door, it would be her! After all it was her who was clever enough to solve his problem with the disks. But the question was how he could convince her to help him? With the Medjai dead, there was nothing he could use against her. Of course he could threaten her own life but somehow he doubted that she would care at the moment.

  
“All that drama because of some filthy desert thug,” he huffed in annoyance. How she could harbour any kind of feelings for the likes of him was beyond Wilhelm.

  
“Don’t you dare to call him that!” She yelled and jumped up. The change in her behaviour was so sudden and unexpected that he actually flinched. “You have no right! He was a great and honourable man, unlike you!” She hissed and fixed him with a glare that made him extremely uncomfortable. He remembered her hitting Farouq during the robbery and hastily stepped a few steps away from her. With a slightly unsteady grip he raised his gun and tried to compose himself.

  
“What do you want to do, kill me as well?” Lilly taunted and stepped father towards him. “Do it, I dare you!”

  
“Stop!” But she did not, she simply continued with her walk and for every step she made forwards he made one backwards. He was just about to fire his gun, a warning shot, when the unexpected sound of a giggling girl stopped him.

  
“Ally! Allison Jane Monroe come back here!” A woman yelled which was answered with another round of giggles. A moment later a little girl, maybe four or five rushed around one of the Sphinx’s great front paws.

  
It was late in the afternoon and Wilhelm cursed himself that he forgot to leave one of his men to guard the entrance. In retrospective it was a wonder none of the tourists interrupted them so far.

  
The curly haired girl had not noticed them as she was obviously searching for a good hide out. She spend more time looking over her shoulder, to look out for whoever was searching for her, than of what was in front of her. It was not until the girl was nearly beside him, that an idea crossed his mind. Obviously Lilly realised his intentions, but she was too late. Before she could reach the girl he had pulled her in front of him.

  
Allison’s surprised shriek was muffled by his hand that was firmly pressed over her mouth. For such a small girl she was surprisingly strong and he had a hard time to keep her struggling form in place while he pointed his gun at the woman in front of him.

  
“Enough!” He bellowed. For a second he was tempted to fire the gun just to make a point but he did not want to attract more attention than necessary. Instead he gripped his gun tighter and called for Smith and the others. Lilly looked furious but hesitated to do anything. Her eyes flickered between the girl and the gun in his hand and Wilhelm realised he had made the right decision. With the girl as a pawn against her, she would be much more willing to do his bidding.

  
Grinning he handed the girl to Abbot and ordered Smith, Davis and Henderson to look out for the woman who was searching for Ally and keep everyone else from interrupting them.

* * *

  
An hour later things were finally looking up. With a little motivation Lilly was able to open the secret door. In retrospective he had to admit that it was rather easy. All she had to do was press the symbol that represented the Eye of Ra which was displayed on the Sphinx’s breastplate. But although he learned all that he could about the creature he sought out, he was not able to read hieroglyphs.

  
Luckily for him he had someone at his disposal who could!

* * *

  
Lilly could not remember a time where she had felt so furious, devastated and utterly helpless at the same time. She did not want to help this megalomaniac to find the Eye, but he left her no choice. After what happened on top of the pyramid, she did not doubt for a moment that he would kill the girl and her nanny if she did not do what she was told.  
She should have kept her mouth shut about the pyramidion, that way he would have never found out about the secret temple. At the time she simply wanted to save Ardeth from being shot and ignored his warning words. Now he was dead, all the same.

  
Her heart arched at the thought of Ardeth. He was dead, simply gone! Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of him laying somewhere at the bottom of the pyramid. Rubbing furiously over her eyes she forced herself to keep herself together. Crying would not help her one bit. She would have to find a way to stop Wilhelm from going through with his insane plan and she would bring Ardeth’s body back to his tribe. She owed him that much. Why did Bay men have the tendency to die in her presence?

  
“After you,” Wilhelm’s voice ripped her out of her thoughts and gestured her to walk through the newly opened door in front of them.

  
Bestowing him with one last withering look she grabbed a torch from one of the silent minions and stepped past Wilhelm into the core of the Sphinx. She was not sure what she expected. Maybe some nasty traps, a mystique guardian or a secret temple of monumental structure. What she found was a narrow room with a hole in the ground. When she stepped nearer she saw the beginning of stair steps that lead deeper into the ground. Deeper under the surface of the desert. A queasy feeling settled inside her stomach as she looked down into the darkness. She did not bother to look behind her, instead she took a deep breath and tried the first step.

  
“You can do it… You can do it.” With every step she took deeper into the ground she muttered the words like a mantra thinking about all kind of traps that were probably awaiting her. Because of her fear it took her a while to notice that the air was surprisingly good, given that she was a few meters under the ground. Her torch was flickering every now and then and it had nothing to do with her movement or slightly trembling hands. She could hear the others behind her but ignored them. Her right arm slid over the wall to her side while she took one step after the other. A few minutes later she had reached the last step and was facing a wall, at least it looked like one. But the flame on her torch was dancing merrily and Lilly was sure that there had to be a room behind it. Inspecting the wall as well as she could it took her a while to find what she was looking for.  
“I need the disk,” she told the others without turning around. There was some rustling behind her but oddly enough no protest.

  
“Here!” She nearly shrieked and twirled around when she heard Wilhelm’s voice directly behind her. As engrossed as she had been with key look in front of her she had not noticed him.

  
The disk was glimmering lightly in the firelight and without further words she took it but Wilhelm did not let go at once.

  
“Remember. One wrong move and –“

  
“Yes!” She interrupted him angrily. “I wouldn’t be here otherwise!” Her eyes swept towards the pitch black top of the stairs where the girl and her nanny had to stand before she grasped the disk with more force than necessary. With one last glare at him she turned around to put the disk into the hidden key hole. With an audible click it moved into place. Like she expected the wall revealed a secret door. Hesitantly she stepped through it, unsure what to expect. The lack of traps until this point made her uneasy. If that really was Sekhmet’s resting place, should it not be better warded? If she recognised one maybe she could use it against Wilhelm and the others?

  
Something on the wall to her right caught her eye and approached it to have a better look. Excitement rushed through her as she realised what it was. She had read about it in countless books but never seen it wither her own eyes.

  
“Hmm, I wonder if it still works,” she mumbled and after a moment of hesitation she threw her torch into the stony basin. Within seconds the fire spread through the stone channel alongside the wall and filled the room in a soft yellow light. Although room was not big enough to describe what lay before her. The gasps and low whispers behind her proved that she was not alone in her astonishment.

  
How was it possible to create a temple that enormous under the surface of the desert? On the other hand, Sekhmet was supposed to be enormous so her prison had to be appropriate in its measurements. But how did they get her in here? Though the chamber with the high pillars in front of them might fit an enormous creature, the stairs and entrance were barely big enough to let a normal person pass.

  
“After you!” Wilhelm’s voice interrupted her thoughts. He pointed in front of them with his gun and Lilly felt another lump in her throat. Her eyes roamed over the dust covered stone on the ground up to the walls and plain stony pillars, looking for traps but nothing stuck out to her. Unfortunately that didn’t mean much.

  
“Why don’t you send one of you goons? There could be all kinds of traps and I wouldn’t be of much help if I’m dead.”

  
“Nice try,” he chuckled. “Now go and better watch out!”

  
To underline Wilhelm’s words one of his men suggested that they could send the girl first which was answered with supressed a shriek and a tiny voice that begged her nanny to go home. Lilly wanted nothing more than to make that happen but feared that she could not. With dark thoughts clouding her mind she stepped forward.

 

Five minutes later the queasy feeling in her stomach was getting harder and harder to ignore. So far there had been no traps or even uneven stones in the ground. They had walked maybe thirty meters and everything looked the same. Nothing but stony walls, pillars and dusty ground. It took another thirty meters to notice a difference in their surroundings. The pillars.

  
Until now there had been a certain pattern. One on the left side, one on the right side and the third one in the middle. Now there was a row of them, seven to be exact, in front of them and for the first time she noticed pictures and sculptures in them. Slowly she stepped nearer. But before she had time to inspect them further something else aroused her attention. Something that lay behind the pillars. Throwing caution in the wind she stepped around the nearest stone pillar and gasped.

  
“Oh my god,” she breathed in awe but nobody heard her over the loud exclamations and shouts of the others. Even the nanny let out a surprised yelp.

  
Gold.

  
A shiny golden surface converted everything her eyes roamed over. Blinking she tried to take everything in. In front of her was a temple, a circular one with three plateaus that got higher towards the middle, much like a pyramid. Each plateau was surrounded by golden artfully painted and decorated pillars. Seven around the bottom plateau, five around the middle one and two on the highest. And hidden between the two pillars was some sort of altar. From her position it looked as if it was heavily covert with gemstones. But where was the Eye? Could it be that the altar held some sort of ancient spell that allowed the speaker to call the goddess?

  
She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she did not notice one of Wilhelm’s men act on pure stupidity until it was too late. Obviously blinded by all the gold and gemstones he hurried forward towards the altar.

  
“No!”

  
“Smith, stop!” Wilhelm’s and her voice piped up at the same time but it was too late and the inevitable happened. A trap, one she had been looking out for since she stepped down the stairs activated and a moment later Smith’s body disappeared with a loud scream. It took her a moment to realise that he fell into some kind of pit. Probably into a bunch of spears or spikes, Lilly did not feel the urge to confirm her assumption.

  
Chaos interrupted around her. The other three men were shouting, the little girl was screaming alongside her nanny and Wilhelm was yelling at them all to shut up.

  
“Where is he?” Henderson shouted who had rushed forward to look out for Smith. “He vanished, how can that be?”

  
“Don’t be stupid, he probably fell into some kind of trap!” One of the other answered while he stepped nearer. Hesitantly, obviously afraid of suffering the same fate as his friend.

  
“Holy mother of god,” he suddenly shouted. “He isn’t here!”

  
Frowning Lilly looked around. The area between the seven pillars looked fine to her, but obviously was not as solid as it looked like. Curiously she stepped a bit forward, but all she could see was the same dusty ground as everywhere else around here. A disturbing thought made her search the ground for a little stone she could throw.

  
“Watch,” she told the others quietly and threw the stone. It disappeared.

* * *

  
Lilly had no idea how much time had passed since they arrived at the circular temple, but it had to be a while. Her throat was dry and her ears felt deaf from all the screaming around her. Her demonstration had ended with another round of yelling and crying before they finally tried to act rational and find out how big the area without a real ground was. Only the area between the pillars seemed to be affected, which was fine with her, but Wilhelm and his goons were determined to get onto the top. Idiots!

  
Lilly had no explanation for what she was seeing, or actually was not seeing, but she could recognise a warning. Some things were not meant to be found.

  
Ignoring the others who were still debating over how to overcome the invisible hole she slowly started to walk around the outer ring of pillars. Aside from the danger it obviously presented the temple was a beautiful piece of architecture. What kind of prison contained a shrine for its inhabitant? Was it even a temple to worship Sekhmet?

  
Seven pillars. The number stuck something in her. Usually it was the symbol of perfection, effectiveness and completeness but somehow that did not feel right. Not completely. There had to be a different meaning. At a closer look at the pillars she noticed that each represented a cow on the one side and a woman on the other side. And suddenly it stuck her what the meaning of those pillars were. They represented the seven forms of Hathor. The goddess of love, music and fertility. The mistress of Heaven. The goddess who was changed into Sekhmet.

  
That part seemed more important than ever. Hathor and Sekhmet, two beings who were the same and different.

  
“Unsurprisingly you seem a step ahead of me.” This time Wilhelm’s voice was so unexpected that she actually shrieked. Unimpressed he pointed at the pillars. “There is meaning behind this, yes? I know that numbers are important in different mythologies. It can’t be coincidence that there are seven, five and two pillars.”

  
No it was not but she was not about to admit that much. “I suppose.”

  
“Don’t play dumb Miss Blackmore, it doesn’t suit you. You know what they mean which means you know how to bypass the trap!”

  
Cursing her own curiosity she remained silent. She should have stayed where she was and refrain from helping him with his crazy plan. Even unintentionally.

  
Sighing he shook his head. “Is it really necessary to repeat myself? But fine,” he shrugged and turned towards the others. “I think the nanny is disposable. Her shrieking is getting on my nerves anyway.” When she still did not make a move to answer his question he called out to his goons. “Henderson!”

  
She resisted for as long as the stupid goon needed to answer before she graved.

  
“Okay, fine. Stop you win!”

  
“Splending. Why must you make it so hard, Lilly?”

  
“Because you are a megalomaniac who wants to play god!” She snapped back but he simply chuckled and gestured her to speak up.

  
“I have no idea how to undo the traps, but I think I know what the seven pillars stand for,” she explained reluctantly. “The seven aspects of the goddess Hathor that are likewise her names.” With an impatient gesture he prompted her to keep talking. “I once read in one of my father’s books that Hathor can appear as seven cows or seven beautiful women. The cows usually appear in funerary context while the women are present at the birth of a child to pronounce its fate. Their names are:

  
Lady of the universe

  
Sky-storm

  
You from the land of silence

  
You from Khemmis

  
Red-hair

  
Bright red and

  
Your name flourishes through skill.”

  
“What kind of stupid names are that?” Abbot snorted and the other two idiots snickered. Lilly just glared at them and wished they would follow Smith example.

  
“Keep quiet,” Wilhelm snapped at them while the thought about her words. “It makes sense. Hathor is Sekhmets other form, right?”

  
“She is mostly associated with Sekhmet, yes.” She thought about the day Ardeth had discussed this with her, after he was shot. Immediately her thoughts darkened as she remembered who had shot him. Twice.

  
“So?” Wilhelm wanted to know.

  
“So, what?”

  
“How will that information help us to bypass the trap?”

  
“I have no idea!”

  
“You are lying!”

  
“No, I’m not! I didn’t build this, how should I know how to deactivate the trap. Maybe there is no way! Some things should be left alone!”

  
For a short moment he looked as if he might even consider her words but than his features turned into an angry grimace. Without another word he walked over to where the nanny was clutching the girl to her side and before she had time to realise what he intended to do he pushed the barrel of his gun against the woman and fired.

  
Her frightened yell joined the agonised scream of the woman who fell to the floor. Ally was wailing loudly, frightened by the noise and the man who had shot her nanny. It took Lilly a moment to realise that Wilhelm had not killed her. The bulled had pierced her arm, but the pain and the shock had her crumbling to the floor.

  
“If you don’t want the next bullet to kill her, you better find a way to get me what I want!”

  
Fisting her hands to her sides she simply nodded.

* * *

  
In the end it was not her that stumbled over the solution, but one of Wilhelm’s goons. Bored with the lack of action around him, he had started to look at the pillars and notice the little gemstones that were imbedded in them. Of course he had nothing better to do than to pull his penknife in an attempt to pick them out. Lilly nearly bit off his head, but was distracted as she realised that a part of the pillar had sunken deeper into the stone. It was the hieroglyph that displayed the name: Bright red. Hesitantly she had pressed her fingers against it and with a noticeable click it had sunken even deeper.

  
From there on it had not been too difficult. All they had to do, was push the hieroglyph that represented one of Hathor’s names inside each pillar. Silently and without any warning golden stairs had appeared between the seven pillars and the second plateau. This time though nobody had rushed forward to get there. Uncomfortably she had suggested that they all should go.

  
“There are seven stairs maybe that is important.” She felt bad for forcing the nanny and Ally into this but what choice did she have? Wilhelm agreed with her logic and left the other no choice but to do his bidding. Slowly and with a good amount of fear they all had stepped up the stairs.

  
Now she was hesitantly walking around the five pillars on the second plateau trying to understand what she was seeing. Well, trying to put the knowledge of what she was seeing into good use.

  
She knew what the pillars where. They represented the Egyptian concept of the soul:

  
Ka, the vital essence.

  
Ba, the personality.

  
Sheut, the shadow.

  
Ren, the true name.

  
And Ib, the heart.

  
Put together they defined a creature. Regardless if it was a mortal or a god. The knowledge of one’s soul was a powerful weapon and Lilly was not sure if she wanted that kind of power over someone like Sekhmet.

  
There were five sets of stairs that led to the last plateau and without waiting she stepped onto the one before her. She wasn’t sure if there was another trap but part of her inwardly wished for it. Without her, Wilhelm would have a much harder time to reach his goal.

  
But nothing happened as she stepped onto the last plateau. It was small with just enough room for the altar and the two pillars. One represented Hathor, Lady of Heaven, in all her lovely beauty. The other pictured Sekhmet, Lady of Slaughter, in all her alarming terror.

  
Her eyes wandered toward the altar, or what she thought to be an altar. On closer inspection it looked more like a chest. A golden, gemstone encrusted chest, but a chest nonetheless. Hesitantly she stepped nearer while she tried to swallow down the bitter taste of uneasiness. A cavity in form of the disk was noticeable on the lid, surrounded by hieroglyphs that were supposedly warnings.

  
The queasy feeling in her stomach was stronger than ever and for a moment she was tempted to turn around and run. In the end it might have been the better option.

* * *

  
Before she had time to react in any way she was pushed aside.

  
“Finally!” Wilhelm exclaimed excited and starred at the chest. His fingers were twitching wildly, as if he desperately wanted to touch it, but was afraid something might happen.  
“Isn’t it a little small? You told us the treasure would be far beyond anything we could ever imagine!” One of the goons mused out loud and Lilly doubted that they had the slightest what Wilhelm was trying to find.

  
“Maybe it’s just another illusion, or a secret door.” Davis suggested. “Look at the craving. It looks like the one on the door. Put the disk in it!”

  
“Shut up!” Wilhelm shouted at them but grasped for the disk at the same time.

  
“Don’t do it, Wilhelm,” she pledged while her eyes were jumping from Hathor to Sekhmet. Lilly remembered her journey to the Medjai camp and her own doubts about the Eye as some sort of mystical weapon. But the longer she stood here, the more convinced she became that the Eye was indeed something beyond comprehension. Irrational fear filled her and in that moment she missed Ardeth more than ever.

  
The men were all standing around the chest, completely ignoring her, too absorbed with the disk. Her eyes were searching for Ally and her nanny, maybe they could use the distraction to get the hell out of here, but a series of clicks caught her attention.

  
“It’s opening,” Wilhelm’s voice sounded awed as he watched the locks sprung open. One after another. Lilly was sure she was not the only one in the room who held her breath. Was that the moment? Was that the awakening of Sekhemet?

  
The lid sprung open and Lilly wanted to run but she could not move. Silence surrounded her for a long moment and then…

  
“What the hell is that?!”

  
“Is that a joke?”

  
While his goons suddenly started to yell Wilhelm simply stood there and looked into the heart of the chest. She could not see his face but from the slump in his shoulders he certainly was not expecting whatever was in there.

  
“That’s the big treasure?!” Abbot snarled and bend down to grasp whatever was hidden inside. “This?” In his hand was a small wooden box that held four figurines she recognised. Canopic jars. They were used during a mummification to hold and preserve the viscera and were always buried with the mummy. But if that were the Canopic jars of Sekhmet, where was her body?

  
“You promised us treasures beyond believes and that’s what we get? Ugly stone bottles?!” With an angry yell he threw the box away and Lilly was helpless as she watched the priceless piece of history shatter on the floor. Then too many things happened at the same time. Wilhelm was ripped out of his lethargic state and started screaming at Abbot. Henderson and Davis joined the yelling match, though Lilly was not sure who was yelling at who. Allison started to cry again while her nanny possessed enough presence of mind to use the opportunity. She grabbed Ally by the hand and started to drag her down the stairs. Lilly wanted to follow her example but the damaged jars on the ground caught her attention.

  
“Oh my god.” She whispered. Wherever the stone had cracked some kind of golden mist was leaving the vessel. Awestruck she watched the mist forming four golden glowing spheres. With each passing moment they gained more substance and started to flow higher and higher in the air, finally catching the attention of the men who had stopped screaming at each other.

  
“Run!” Lilly screamed, suddenly stuck with awareness why there was no sarcophagus with a mummy, just the four Canopic jars! One of them would be the vessel.

  
“Get away from here!” She tried to follow her own advice but it was too late. The golden light was getting so bright that she was blinded by it. And then all she felt was pain. Like bullets from a gun, the golden spheres hit her in the back.

There is a theory about a temple under the Sphinx. I found this sketch and liked the possibilities so I used it for my fic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhuh...Never break the Canopic jars...


	17. Chapter 13: She-before whom evil trembles

Chapter thirteen: She-before whom evil trembles

Ardeth ignored the pain that needled his body as good as possible while he stumbled towards the Great Sphinx. His mouth felt like the desert and his vision still had white spots in it due to the heat stroke he suffered.

  
He had woken to a throbbing pain in his back and left arm and found himself on one of the many plateau-like ledges on the side of the Great Pyramid. Pure luck, or maybe destiny, had rescued him from death once again. Though his tumble down the Pyramid had only been a few meters, the impact on the uneven stone had been hard enough to rob him of his consciousness for a while.

  
Ardeth did not know how much time had passed since they discovered Sekhmets resting place, but he feared it was already too late. Baron Weißenburg probably already had what he wanted. Sekhmet would be free and Lilly…Lilly would be of little use for him.

  
This time the pain that knocked him over did not come from his back or the shot wound in his left arm but his heart. He should be angry at her that she revealed how to use the disk, even if it was to rescue him. Especially if it was to rescue him. Nobody was that important, but he could not be mad at her. In reality it filled him with an inappropriate amount of satisfaction to know that he meant enough to her to risk Sekhmet getting free just to save him. And deep down he knew he would do the same, although it went against every promise he made to protect his people. But seeing her die once, or at least thinking she had died, was enough for one life time.

  
A high pitched screech from above ripped him out of his thoughts. His eyes hastily searched the sky for the source of the sound which lead to a new wave of nausea and white spots. But even without seeing clearly he knew that sound. Obviously Maruk had gathered his men and brought them here. A grim smile blossomed on his face as he rushed towards the Sphinx with a new found motivation. Maybe there was still hope.

* * *

  
Twenty minutes later his new found hope was nothing more than a tiny spark. When he arrived in front of the Great Sphinx his men were gathered around a hysterical crying woman and child who clustered together on the ground. The black cladded Medjai with their foreign tattoos and frightening looking scimitars were not helping to calm them down.

  
“What’s going on here?”

  
“Chief!” Rashid, his second, greeted him relived but with a worried glance at his ragged and bloodied appearance. Ardeth could see that he wanted to ask what happened to him but he shook his head and pointed at the two females. Two others handed him a pipe of water and a piece of cloth to clean his wounds as good as possible at the moment while he listened to Rashid’s words.

  
“From what we gathered, they were kidnapped and forced to go down there,” Rashid pointed at the small entrance beside the Sphinx breast plate. “An older man used the girl to force a woman to help him open the gate. Apparently they found some kind of temple with golden pillars and a lot of stairs but something went wrong.”

  
Ardeth swallowed thickly at the explanation. It was clear to him, that that the man and woman were Weißenburg and Lilly and it did not surprise him in the last that they found the temple.

  
“What happened?” This time he directed his question directly at the woman. She did not answer just pressed the crying child deeper against her chest. He stepped closer and kneeled down so they were on the same level. It did not have the desired effect but seemed to frighten her all the more. Sighing deeply he regarded them. They were covered with blood and dirt, their hair was standing in every direction and their faces were smeared with tears. Ardeth noticed that her arm was bleeding only now and beckoned on of his men to help.

  
She tried to escape Farid’s helping hands, obviously afraid. “You were obviously shot, he will help you.” Ardeth tried to reason with her and she finally nodded. “I want to stop the man that kidnapped you but you will have to help me to accomplish that.”

  
“He…he f-forced that woman to to h-help him,” came the stuttered replay.

  
“Lilly? Was her name Lilly?”

  
“Y-Yes. She…she didn’t want to help him. B-but he threatened to kill Ally every time she refused. And…and finally when s-still didn’t do as he said, h-he shot me.” She hiccupped.

  
Ardeth pressed his eyes together. Of course she would not help him without other people being threatened. “What did you find down there?”

  
“A t-temple. I think. There were golden pillars and a lot of…a lot of stairs that lead to t-three plateaus.” Ardeth could hear the frightened muttering of his men but ignored them. “What was on the last plateau?”

  
“Two pillars a-and a big golden box. They opened it but it wasn’t what they were expecting. Just some stone bottles. The men started to yell and accuse each other and I … I used to opportunity to get Ally and get out of there.”

  
He could feel himself getting hot and cold at the same time. He feared his next question but he had to ask it. “What happened to the stone bottles?”

  
The woman regarded him with a bemused look. “One of the men threw them to the ground. I think they broke, b-but I’m not sure. I grasped Ally and run.”

  
“Allah help us,” he mumbled and tried to fight the feeling of nauseates in his stomach. If he was right about the bottles, they were all doomed.

* * *

  
Ardeth was not sure what he expected to find when he finally reached the hidden temple. Maybe a savage beast slaughtering anything in its way or at least a blood lusting creature ready to attack. What he found was chaos, but no beast. The bodies of three men, mangled and bloodied laid across the floor and golden stair cases that led to the altar. It looked as if they had tried to flee from something but failed. He could see his men changing worried glances with each other, but none of them spoke. His eyes wandered around the room trying to find Lilly but he could not make out her form or that of Baron Weißenburg. Ardeth was not sure if he should be worried or relieved about the fact.

  
Hesitantly he walked around the plateau to look around, still unsure about what happened down here. That was when he saw it. Lilly’s red hair hanging down from the very top of the plateau.

  
“Lilly!” Throwing caution in the wind he hurried up the stairs to reach her. Weißenburg and she were both lying unconscious on the ground beside the altar, but Ardeth ignored the former and knelt down beside Lilly and pulled her into his lap.

  
“Lilly?” Carefully he stroked over her face and hair, both covered in blood and grime. Her skin which had gotten a slight tan over the last few days appeared unnatural pale. He could not find a serious wound and as her chest was raising and falling steadily he assumed she was merely unconscious. “Lilly!” He called her again. More forcefully this time.

“Wake up!” Can you hear me?” He was just about to call Farid to look her over, when he noticed a slight flutter behind her eyelids. “Lilly!?”

  
“Ardeth?” A whisper.

  
A mix between a sigh and a sob escaped his mouth and he pressed her tighter against him. “Yes, it’s me. Are you hurt? What happened?”

  
“Ardeth?” This time her voice was a bit stronger and her eyelids fluttered open. Green eyes tried to focus on him. “You are dead. Am I dead, too?”

  
Confused the starred down at her. Than he realised that she had seen him falling from the top of the Great Pyramid –after he was shot. “No, I did not die. You did not die!”  
Before he could say more a voice behind him interrupted him. “What magic is that? I killed you! More than once! Why can’t you stay dead?!”

  
Taken by surprise Ardeth’s head whirled around and starred into the hateful eyes of the Baron. His face was as pale as Lilly’s, blood was dripping out of his mouth and his body was stretched in an unhealthy angel.

  
“I could ask you the same!” Ardeth noted dryly and starred at the barrel of the gun which was aimed at his face. It felt like a déjà vu. A bad one. He could hear his men rushing up the stairs, surrounding them but with a quick gesture of his hand he held them back.

  
“What do you want?” He asked the man tiredly.

  
“What is rightfully mine,” Lord Weißenburg sneered. “The Eye!”

  
Ardeth stiffened and for the first time his eyes noticed the shattered remains of the canopic jars around them while Wilhelm ranted on. “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been searching for it? How much it cost me? Of course you don’t! You Medjai warriors are so hell bent to hide all those secrets that you wouldn’t even know what to do with them!”

  
“Ardeth…” Lilly tried to sit up but was too weak and slumped back into his lap. “Careful,” he tried to push her gently down, as she once again tried to sit up, but she was having none of that. Finally she was sitting with her back against his chest, her head lying weakly against his shoulders. “Ardeth…some…something…” she tried again.

  
“The Eye of Ra will bring me power beyond imagination.”

  
“A power you can’t believe to control!”

  
“Did you forget? I have this,” Weißenburg laughed and pulled at a chain around his neck which contained the medallion. “She has to obey me!”

  
“Ardeth!” Again Lilly’s voice. Still a whisper but much clearer than before. “Something is…is not…right with…” Her fingers were clinging into his robe with surprising strength. Looking down, he starred into the most amazing green eyes he ever encountered, but they were widened in fear. “Something isn’t…right with…me!”

  
That was when he noticed it. The flicker of red inside the forest green eyes.

  
“Lilly!”

  
“No, not Lilly you stupid fool!” Weißenburg laughed like a maniac. “Sekhmet!”

  
“No!” Ardeth whispered though deep down he knew it was true. He had known it all along, ever since the nanny had mentioned to stone bottles. Nonetheless he starred horrified into Lilly’s eyes. More and more red spots seemed to appear in them as she starred at him with panic.

  
“No, no, no!” He gripped her tightly and shook his head in denial, as if that could change anything. “No, please not you!”

  
“Ardeth.” His name left her mouth like a frightened whisper and suddenly the woman in his arms was not Lilly anymore. Like the rest of her body her face had become unnatural motionless. Apart from the vivid red eyes staring up at him she looked like a stature.

  
Ardeth had spent his life fighting. In the beginning it was mostly outlaws, thieves and Europeans who thought they could take whatever they found in the sands of his land. Later he had to lead his people against Imhotep and the Scorpion king and he did so with determination and good faith. But right at this moment, looking into the face of the woman that filled his heart with warmth and hope, he could feel the fight leaving his body. His body felt numb besides the throbbing pain his in heart.

  
She was still watching him, curious now as if she was trying to remember who he was.

  
_“I know you!”_

  
Ardeth flinched as Lilly’s voice spoke to him. The pronunciation of the old language she used gave it a slightly different tone but it was her voice.

  
Swallowing heavily he nodded, not able to actual form words. Could Sekhmet simply remember everything from Lilly’s life? Or…or could Lilly possibly be still in there?

  
“Enough!” A loud voice bellowed and Ardeth was reminded that they were not alone. Irritated he stared at Lord Weißenburg who had risen to his knees and was still pointing his gun at him. As if that would impress him, considering Sekhmet was free and he had no idea how to stop her.

  
“They Eye is mine! Give her to me!”

  
Ardeth stared at the man in front of him. He knew his kind. Rich, power hungry and convinced to have the right to take whatever they please. Weißenburg was not the first European that came to his country with dreams of finding hidden treasures and secrets and causing chaos. But for the first time Ardeth realised that the man was insane.

  
His once perfectly fitting tailored white suit was dirty, ripped and strained with blood. A deep gash crossed his left cheek and his hair was standing in every direction. He was holding his gun in one hand and the medallion the other, while he starred at Lilly –Sekhmet with a manic gleam in his eyes.

  
“Come here!” He demanded again.

  
For a long moment Lilly –Sekhmet he reminded himself, starred at the old man before she suddenly rose form his lap in one graceful move that no human could ever perform. Slowly she walked towards him until she was standing before the kneeling man.

  
Ardeth was not sure what to make of it or what he should do at all. His hand was wandering to where the Ankh was resting against his chest. Could Weißenburg really control her with the damaged medallion he possessed? And if not, what could they possibly do against a goddess who had to be quite angry after being imprisoned for so long? Nothing! They could do nothing.

  
“Kill them!” Weißenburg hissed. “Kill them all and start with him!” He waved the gun carelessly in Ardeth’s direction. Ardeth could feel the tension in his men at his exclamation. After the first shook wore off, they were now nervously watching what was about to happen. Some of them looked at him for direction but there was nothing they could do. So he simply shook his head and watched what was about to happen.

  
Sekhmet had her back to him but as far as he could tell, she was not moving a muscle. She simply starred at the foolish mortal at her feet.

  
“Did you not hear me?” Weißenburg barked, obviously not realising that his weapon had evidently no intention of obeying him. Or maybe she could not understand him? It did not matter. The medallion was obviously not working.

  
“Kill them! You have to obey me!”

  
_“Obey?”_ Sekhmet hissed in her ancient tongue and Ardeth suddenly understood why she was also called Mistress of Dread.

  
_“I obey no man, neither god nor mortal!”_ With each additional word a trembling fear rose inside his body. A look around showed him that they all could feel it, even if most of them could not understand what she was saying. One or two of his men looked ready to flee and Ardeth could not fault them.

  
_“You hold no power over me!”_

  
Confused and frightened Weißenburg looked from Sekhmet to him and Ardeth was tempted to roll his eyes. “She says that she will not be controlled! Neither by you nor anyone else!”

  
“But…but she must!” He insisted stupidly. “I have the medallion! The legend says the bearer of the medallion will be able to control her power!” He sounded like a stubborn child which would not accept no for an answer.

  
Before Ardeth could reply the ground suddenly started to tremble. Just barley but enough to get his attention and get him onto his feet.

  
_“Control my power?”_ Lilly-Sekhmet hissed in her terrifying voice and Ardeth could feel the shaking increasing. In her anger she was going to bury them down here. They had to get out! His men started yelling as the stairs and pillars started to crack and tremble. “Run! Get out of here!” He yelled while he watched Sekhmet grasp Weißenburg by his throat and raise him high in the air as if he was nothing more than ragdoll.

  
_“Tremble, fear and shiver, little mortal!”_ Sekhmet laughed cruelly. _“Behold my power!”_ Transfixed he stared at the beautiful woman in front of him and his heart arched painfully in his chest. He was not sure if it was because of her voice or because the scene made him understand that it was really not Lilly anymore.

  
Weißenburg started screaming in agony and Ardeth realised that there was nothing he could do. If he wanted to live he had to follow his own advice and run. With a last glance at her he started to hurry down the trembling stairs. The ground shook with terrifying intensity and he had to side track breaking pillars and watch out for falling parts of the ceiling. How far down was he? How long did it take them to come down her? He could not remember. His thoughts had been elsewhere when he entered the temple.

  
“Chief!” Rashid yelled and he finally could make out the stairs in front of him. Together they hurried up the stone steps as quick as they could manage while the temple behind them was falling apart.

* * *

  
“Do you think she is dead?” Rashid wondered unsure.

  
_Lilly?_ Ardeth wanted to ask as he stared numbly onto the hole in the ground a few meters from the Great Sphinx. They had barely escaped from the hidden temple and had it been directly under the Sphinx they might not have made it. But luckily for them the actual temple had been located a few meters beside the giant stature.

  
“Sekhmet is a goddess,” Ardeth answered. “I doubt a few stones and sand can hold her down for long.” But what about Lilly? Was she still alive? His arching heart seemed like the only part of his body that was not numb, though he bitterly wished it was.

  
“What do we do now, chief?”

  
The medallion was destroyed, Lilly was used as a vessel for an ancient goddess and no living soul knew how to stop her. Ardeth had absolutely no idea what do.

  
“We pray to the gods for mercy.” He finally answered without creed. After all it had been the gods who demanded Sekhmet to be released -to punish them. Maybe there was no mercy left for humankind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ups...obviously the medallion did not work. Now they have an angry goddess roaming the world. 
> 
> That is the last chaper for now. I might take me a while to update again.


	18. Chapter 14: Two sides of the same coin

Chapter 14: Two sides of the same coin

_5 months later:_

He was dreaming again. Ardeth knew that as soon as the jasmine scent reached his nose. Like all the other times he expected to see Sekhmet in her Lilly-vessel staring at him with her blood red eyes who tells him “I know you!” with that terrifying and likewise familiar voice. But these time things are different. He was not remembering what happened that fateful day under the Sphinx temple all those months ago, or remembering the weeks he spent in Lilly’s company which felt short and like a series of missed opportunities in retrospect. He was not even forced to see the mangled, bloody corpses of the victims Sekhmet had left behind over the last few months. Less than he expected but too much to remain unnoticed. Twenty men and been killed so far, all inside tombs, temples or plac-es where those once stood. Most of them thieves and treasure hunters but some simple people who had done nothing wrong other than live in a place that once held a sacred meaning. There were al-ready whispers of a terrifying ancient creature who killed everybody who dared to desecrate holy sites and Ardeth feared the day where the whispers would turn into hysteric screams.

But right at this moment he was not seeing any of that and the sight before him pushed every fear he had over the last few months right out of his mind.

_“Lilly,” he whispered as he watched her laughing with a group of women from his tribe. They were standing in front of the cooking tent and preparing for what looked like a feast. She wore the traditional clothes of the Medjai women. A deep green robe with beautiful ornaments on the seam of her arms and collar. The robes of a high standing woman. With her auburn hair and tanned but still light skin, she looked exotic and unique among his people. For a while he watched the woman carry on with their work while they chatted and laughed with each other. Lilly’s presence seemed nothing out of the ordinary and the other women included her in her group as if she had always been one of their tribe. Though the Medjai treated all their guests with respect and a welcoming smile their behav-iour was exceptional. The idea of Lilly as a fixed part of his life spread an enjoyable warmth through his chest._

_“Ami! Ami!” The excited squeal of a child interrupted his musings. Looking around he saw a young boy with a mob of wild dark hair rushing towards Lilly. She stopped what she was doing and turned towards the boy a bright smile on her lips. Without a second thought she sunk to her knees and opened her arms to embrace the boy who bumped into her with full speed._

_Stunned Ardeth watched as she showered the boy with kisses and lifted him up, his small arms winding around her neck and his legs around her waist._

_“Nazra ami! Nazra!” Excitedly he opened the fingers of his right fist to show her something he kept hidden in it. Did the boy just call her mother? Stunned he watched them, watched her as she listened with a loving smile to the excited babbling of the boy, obvious to everything else around her._

_The evening sun was making her hair shine like a halo giving her even more of an other-earthy appearance. She was more beautiful than he had ever seen her and before he even knew what he was doing he was walking towards them. The boy noticed him first and started to wiggle in his mother’s arms. Ardeth was not sure what he expected but the child running towards him as soon as Lilly put him down and calling him father came as a surprise._

_But much like Lilly he swooped the child into his arms and could not help the joy that spread through him as he felt tiny arms and legs being wrapped around him. Laughing with obvious joy the boy leaned back in his arms and looked at him and Ardeth starred into a mini vision of his own face. The only difference were the eyes. Instead of a dark brown he looked into a duplicate of Lilly’s deep green ones. The joyful feeling inside his chest was starting to make him feel lightheaded and he could not stop starring at the boy._

_“Ab!” The boy demanded and touched his cheek obviously unsatisfied with his lack of attention. Smiling Ardeth submitted to his wishes and listened while the boy – his son – told him about his day. For a beautiful moment he lived through his deeply hidden wish for a family and Ardeth was torn between happiness and the sobering knowledge that he was simply dreaming._

_Over the back of the boy’s head his eyes searched for Lilly and saw her standing just a few feet away from them watching them with a content smile. Again he was stuck by her beauty and enjoyed how the sun played with her hair and then... Suddenly it looked as if the sinking sun paused over her head like a flaming crown. Ardeth blinked and tried to focused but instead he got the impression that the sun-disk was flanked on both sides by what appeared to be horns._

_“Hathor,” he mumbled shell shocked but before he could act in any way the sun sunk lower and suddenly it was no longer Hathor he was seeing but rather Sekhmet. Lilly’s red hair blazed around her head like a lion’s mane glittering in the sun which vanished behind her. Red eyes starred at him and his chest clenched with sudden heartache._

_“Ab! Ab!” Little hands grasped his cheeks and turned his head until he starred into Lilly’s green eyes in a face that was a miniature vision of himself. “Ab! You can get her back. You can free her! You have to lift the curse!”_

_“What?” Startled he starred at the boy. “Ab!” He looked far too serious for someone so young. “They are two sides of the same coin; all you have to do is to turn it around!”_

_“How do I do that?”_

_“Let your heart guide you!” The boy smiled and pressed his hand to Ardeth chest. A blinding pain shot through his chest and Ardeth yelled out in pain._

* * *

  
“Chief!”

In hindsight Ardeth realised that he wasn’t just screaming in his dream. His pained yell had ob-viously alerted the guards on night duty.

“Chief!” A blending light appeared before his eyes and it took Ardeth a moment to realise that its source was a petroleum lamp not the sinking sun like moments before.

“Chief, what happened?” He recognised Rashid’s anxious voice but the pain in his chest made it hard to focus on anything. Groaning, he pushed himself into a sitting position and tried to fight the dizziness that came with the pain.

“Chief, what happened?”

“A vision.” He got out between deep breaths. “The gods send me a vision!” Remembering the dream, he slowly lifted his hand from where it was pressed against his chest and pushed the linen tunic out of the way. The lamp was spending enough light to get a good look at it. Shocked he sucked in a deep breath as he starred at his marked flesh.

The skin above his heart, which had been smooth and untouched before was now covered with dark red lines. A red filled circle which was nearly completely surrounded by a thick curved line that only opened on top and bent slightly to the sides.

A sun disk enclosed by horns. The sign of Hathor.

He remembered seeing Lilly with the disk on her head and the cow horns on each side before she had turned into Sekhmet. That image elicited a memory of a painting he had seen. Hathor and Sekhmet fusing into one being, where had he seen that before?

“Two sides of the same coin,” he mumbled.

“Ardeth?” Rashid seldom called him by his given name which more than anything told him how worried he must be.

“Two sides of the same coin,” he repeated and suddenly he knew where he had seen the paint-ing of Hathor and Sekhmet. Fused with new energy he jumped out of his bed and started to get dressed.

“Maybe it is not too late.”

“To late for what?”

“To free her, to stop Sekhmet.” Ardeth could see the doubt in Rashid’s eyes, but he could not deny the sign on his skin. Hathor had send him a message, or was it Ra? He remembered the face of his son, his green serious eyes.

“Ab! You can get her back. You can free her! You have to lift the curse!”

He would do anything in his power to do that. He would not fail her again.

“We need to get back to Deir-el-Bahari!”

* * *

  
They managed to reach the temple in less than ten days, urged on by his determination. Though most of his men had seen the sign on his chest with their own eyes, Ardeth could see the lingering doubt on some faces. Though none of them dared to express those thoughts and followed him without hesitation to Deir-el-Bahari, Ardeth knew he had to give them a better explanation for his behaviour soon. But before he could do that he had to verify his suspicions inside the temple.

He had only revealed the most important parts of his vision, not willing to share the details with others. It seemed much too personal to tell them about Lilly and his son...their son. For a moment he closed his eyes and remembered little hands and feet around his body, which caused a strange hurt inside his chest. He pushed it aside. This was neither the time nor the place to think about it.

Shaking his head as if to clear it, he gripped the torch tighter in his hand and stepped through the entrance of the hidden temple. Two of his men, who possessed extensive knowledge about their history accompanied him, as he knew there would not be enough room for more.

“The paintings are on the ceiling. I need you to take a good look at them.” They nodded and followed him through the tunnel into the narrow room where he had found the third disk a few weeks ago. Ten minutes later they were all starring at the paintings that danced in the firelight. Oth-er than before he was able to take a good look at them.

All in all, there were thirteen paintings. At first that number did not make much sense to him, as numbers held a specific mystical importance but thirteen was not one of them but Kahled had an answer for that.

“You see each painting as equally important, but that is not true,” the old Medjai explained. “The centre of the ceiling is the seventh picture and seven is one of the most important ones. The six paintings on both sides are arranged in two times three pictures. See?” Kahled lifted his torch a bit higher and Ardeth could see that he was right. The distance between the third and fourth as well as the tenth and eleventh painting was wider than the rest.

“And the number two and three are each important on their own!” He added before his eyes glided slowly over the whole ceiling before he stopped in the middle. Number seven was the paint-ing of Hathor trapped inside Sekhmet’s body. The love goddess was crying and obviously unable to free herself. What he had not seen the first time around was the third figure in the picture. A female goddess with dark wings who apparently put some kind of magic on the goddess.

“Khaled, do you recognise that goddess?” Ardeth asked after starring a while at it without mak-ing any sense of it. He was not even sure if the goddess was trying to free Hathor or keep her inside her vessel.

“I believe that is Isis, a darker aspect of her. It looks as if she is cursing Hathor.”

“Just Hathor?” Ardeth asked surprised.

“Yes. The sparks of her magic are only reaching the captured goddess.”

Why would Isis curse Hathor who was considered gentle, loving and caring? Ardeth’s eyes wandered to the next three pictures. The first showed Ra who was obviously trying to change Sekhmet back into Hathor but failing, the second was of Ra crying and the third showed him apply-ing some kind of magic over the cursed goddess. Then came the picture that had confused him the last time he was here: Sekhmet, still with the crying Hathor inside, in the embrace of a man. Unsure about its meaning he turned to the next painting which was damaged quite badly. After some debat-ing they decided that it showed Hathor breaking free. The goddess was pushing her arms to the side –pushing Sekhmet aside until her shell was breaking in the middle. The last picture was nearly the same than the second last only that it was Hathor in the embrace of a man not Sekhmet.

Sighing Ardeth allowed his eyes to sweep over the whole ceiling once again. He stopped at the painting of Isis, the crying goddess inside the Eye and the man hugging both goddesses. Although he did not understand everything, Ardeth understood enough. The painting descripted a way to change Sekhmet back into Hathor. And if there was a way to lift the curse and defeat Sekhmet then there was still hope. Now he only had to understand how to do it!

* * *

  
Six weeks later he was not closer to the solution than before. Sekhmet was still roaming through Egypt killing everyone who dared to defile holy places but kept her distance from everyone else. There was no way to predict where she would turn up next and she never stayed anywhere long enough to catch up with her. And even if, what should they do?

Frustrated Ardeth starred at the sketches Kahled had made from the ceiling painting. He had studied every single picture over last weeks over and over again without getting any wiser. The knowledge that there was a way to lift the curse but he was not able to figure it out was driving him crazy. It felt as if he was failing everyone. His tribe because he was not able to stop the Eye from roaming their lands and Lilly for allowing that creature to possess her. Was she aware what was happening to her? Was she in some sort of sleep or in pain while Sekhmet used her body as she pleased? He refused to believe that she was gone.

Every time that thought popped up, the face of his son appeared in front of him. “Ab! You can get her back. You can free her! You have to lift the curse!”

The memory of a son he did not have – they did not have, haunted him. It was a memory of everything that could have been, but might never come true now. A deeply hidden fantasy he nursed in his heart.

Family. Love. Happiness.

Somewhere along the road Lilly had wormed her way into his heart. He could not even pin point the moment. When had she become more than a link to his father? An unwelcome travel com-panion? A person he owned a live debt to? A foreigner with too much knowledge of their lands and history?

Had it been when she rescued his live? When she cursed and raged with fury about getting robbed? When she surprised him with her knowledge or when she smiled at him because he told her of ancient things? Maybe it had been when she told Weißenburg about the pyramidion to save his life? No, Ardeth knew that was not true. It had been the little things. Her smile, her courage and the way she stroked over his hair while she thought him uncurious from his bullet wound. The colour of her cheeks when he caught her looking at his uncovered form, the fire in her eyes when she defend-ed him and the easy laughter she shared with his mother during her short time with his tribe.

Angrily he pulled his fingers through his hair before he rubbed them over his eyes. He should try to sleep at least for a short while. With a tired sigh he sat down on his bedroll, lent back and closed his eyes and sent a silent prayer.

_From one second to the other blinding white light hit his eyes. It took Ardeth a moment to realise that it was the afternoon sun and a minute or two later he was able to see more than just the flaming red ball in the sky. Surprised he realised that he was on the back of a horse galloping through the desert. The sun was burning hot and relentless down on him and he could feel sweat running down his back. His mouth was dry and begging for a drop of water but he could not find any in his backpack. Look-ing around he noticed the outline of what looked like a temple in front of him. Tired and thirsty he urged his stallion to go faster, eager to find a bit of shelter._

_Five minutes later he could see the pillars that formed the front side of the building and with every step of his horse he got a better idea of where he was._  
_Dendera. Hathor’s temple._

_Suddenly hesitant he tried to slow down his horse but it rushed over the stoned pathway without paying any attention to his commands. When it finally came to a stop he was standing in front of the entrance. Ninety feet above him the six Hathor statures stared down at him daring him to step inside. Calm but reluctant he dismounted his horse which obviously did not share his anxiety as it trotted deeper into the shadows of the temple. With a last glance at the statures he stepped into the columned hall – the Chentit, where yet another eighteen Hathor statures looked down at him. Grimacing he stepped further into the temple, through the Hypostyl with its formidable columns and two other vesti-bules until he was standing in the sanctuary. Unsure what he was supposed to do he looked around the room with its many side rooms along its walls until his eyes came to a sudden stop on the west wall. Not six feet away from him right in front of one of the many passages stood Lilly. She was wear-ing the same elegant green dress she wore the night he first met her._

_“What took you so long, Ardeth? I almost thought you forgot about me!”_

_“Never!” He denied vehemently and wanted to reach for her but froze in his movement as he no-ticed the two other woman stepping out from behind Lilly and flanking her. Both women looked like perfect replicas of her, except for the eyes. The one to her right -Hathor he realised had golden ones while Sekhmet to her left were blood red._

_Simultaneously all three pairs of eyes fixated on him and when they opened their mouths they spoke like one being:_

_“Come to us!”_

 

With a loud gasp Ardeth woke up.

* * *

 Ami = Mother

Nazra = Look

Ab = Father

* * *

 

 

 Hathors sign on Ardeths skin

 

 

Dendera: Hathor tempel

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took me so long to update this. Live ist still a bit crazy at the moment.   
> Unfortunatuly my english (which was never perfect) suffered due to my lack of writing, so I'm sorry for slauthering your language (a lot) during this chapter.   
> Hopefully the next chapter won't take me 7 month...


	19. Chapter 15: It’s all in your head

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG I am so sorry...I cannot believe so much time has passed since my last update! Thanks to everyone who took the time to leave me a review or a kudos, it helped me to find my muse again. My biggest trouble with this story is that I have a fix ending for it in my mind, quite from the beginning but I am not so sure how to get there at the moment. We will see...
> 
> For now I hope you can enjoy this chapter (by now you know that it will take me some time to update :-( )

Chapter 15: It’s all in your head

 

Lilly was struggling. It was all she ever did these days. She was struggling against the panic that seemed to overwhelm her every time she realised that she was not able to move her limps at her own will anymore. Against the paralysing helplessness when she was forced to watch through her eyes what was happening – what her hands were doing, without being able to do anything about it. Struggling against the thoughts and memories that were not her own that flittered through her mind. Struggling against the knowledge that she was a prisoner in her own body. A human vessel to a deity.

 

Sekhmet. The eye of Ra.

 

At first it had not been so bad. Even though there had been another being in her head they had both been confronted with the same feelings: confusion, fear, pain and anger. Four simple basic emotions they could concentrate on although their reasons had been different.

 

Her pain was physical while Sekhmet’s was emotional. Lilly’s confusion spanned a short time- period, while hers covered several millennia. Lord Weißenburg was the centre of her anger while Sekhmet’s anger was aimed against mankind and deities alike. As for the fear…Sekhmet feared imprisonment while Lilly feared for Ardeth. If anyone knew what Sekhmet was capable of it was her, she was living in her head after all. Or Sekhmet in hers, depending how you looked at it.

 

Lilly had tried to warn him in the temple. Even though she did not fully understand what hap-pened to her at first, she had known intuitively that he was in danger and that she was the source of it. But everything happened so fast that she did not have the chance to articulate herself. From one moment to the other Sekhmet had taken over and Lilly was shoved in the back of her own mind. But even from there Lilly was not willing to let harm come to Ardeth. Fortunately, Lord Weißen-burg captured Sekhmet’s attention with his laughable attempt to control her and for the first-time Lilly was happy that she broke the medallion. Unfortunately, that ended with the temple crumbling down on her head. While Lilly was screaming, at least in her head, and wanted to run for cover, Sekhmet remained unfazed where she was. Like a wonder the stones from the pillars, stairs and the ceiling tumbled around her body as if an invisible shield blocked them.

 

She was a goddess after all.

* * *

 

How and when she left the destroyed temple she could not remember. She must have blacked out for a while. Her first thought after gaining consciousness was for Ardeth and if he managed to get himself out of the temple alive.

 

That was until she realised that her hands were around the neck of a fearful looking man. Be-fore she could comprehend what was going on, she heard a nasty popping noise and the man sunk to his knees. She would have liked to black out again, but that did not happen. Instead she was forced to watch Sekhmet kill and run amok. Though the goddess was not roaming the world and slaying anything in sight like the tale of The Eye suggested it was gruesome enough. Especially as she was using her body for it. Lilly could see the terrified faces of her victims through her own eyes, could hear them begging her to spare them, feel their throbbing veins of their neck under her hands, smell the cold sweat on their bodies and even taste it in the air but regardless how much struggled, she could not stop her body from acting against her will. Sekhmet held all the power and ignored her attempts to take over control. She yelled, cursed, begged and pledged but it did not matter. After a few days, she was not even sure if Sekhmet could hear her at all.

 

_“She can, she just chooses to ignore you!”_

 

Had she been in control of her body, she would have jumped a mile high while she let out a high-pitched screech.

 

“Who are you?” Lilly wanted to look around, but obviously couldn’t. It took her a moment to realise that the voice came from inside her head. And though the voice was speaking in the ancient language it was not Sekhmet. It was much softer with a musical note in it.

 

From one moment to the other her vision changed and instead of looking at the dead body at her feet she was facing a big four-poster bed, overladen with silk covered pillows and an embroi-dered sheet. Bemused she looked around. The rest of the room was as luxurious as the bed. Her eyes wandered over an equally overladen divan and an artful craved side table with two matching chairs. The ground was covered with thick colourful rugs on the one side and a beautiful blue and gold stone mosaic on the other, which led to a pool sized bathtub in the ground. The walls were painted with various images from mythological scenes but before she had the opportunity to get a closer look a movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. Twirling around as quick as possible she nearly stumbled to the floor as she caught sight of the person in front of her.

 

“What…how…who?” Lilly spluttered like a nitwit and starred at the woman. “Who are you?”

 

_“I am you! Part of you anyway!”_ The woman smiled and it was like watching herself in the mirror. Apart from her eyes, which appeared to be an unnatural golden colour, the woman could have been her twin sister.

 

_She_ wore a thin golden robe out of the finest lace and silk that was covered in extensive em-broidery and jewels. With every step, she made the light was reflected in the stones making it look as if she was radiating light. Her auburn hair flowed around her in thick, shiny waves completing her regal appearance.

 

Looking down at herself, Lilly realised that she was still wearing the same dirty and ripped clothes she wore on the day Sekhmet had taken control over her. The skin on her arms and hands was covered with blood from various small cuts, her fingernails were broken and dirty. Strands of hair had escaped her formerly neat braid and hung limp around her face. With a grimace, she crossed her arms in front of her. The difference between them could not be greater and looking at a shiny, beautiful vision of herself made her feel more than a little uncomfortable. Shaking her head, Lilly tried to concentrate on the matters at hand.

 

“What do you mean you are part of me?”

 

_“I mean, I am in your head! Did you not wonder why you are free to move?”_

 

In all honesty that had slipped her notice until now. But if they were in _her_ head, why where they in this strange room or why was she still covered in blood and grime?

 

_“I guess because it is the last memory you have of yourself!”_ Her golden-eyed vision answered her silent question and clapped in her hands. _“There much better, don’t you think?”_

 

Looking down at herself once more she noticed that the dirt and blood had vanished. She was clean and healed as far as she could tell and wearing the beautiful green dress she had worn the day she had met Ardeth. Only that this one wasn’t splattered with blood and ripped on the hem, like the original.

 

_“It’s just in your head, saira!”_

 

Involuntarily she flinched when she heard the endearment. Aden used to call her that. The most common translation was _flower_ but it also meant _passenger_ which she found much more fitting. Like everything else she never forgot about the name. But how could she know that?

 

_“As I said, it’s all in your head!”_ Her counterpart tipped her finger against her forehead. _“I am in your head!”_

 

“Who are you?”

 

_“Can’t you already guess who I am?”_

 

Lilly wanted to deny it, but she had a pretty good idea who she was facing. “Hathor!” She whispered and starred into the unhuman golden eyes and she just knew she was right about her identity. “What do you want?”

 

_“The same thing, you want I would guess saira. Freedom!”_

 

Before she had the opportunity to react in any way, Hathor and everything around her vanished and she was suddenly pushed back into her physical body. After the first shock was over she tried to get back, sadly she had no idea how to do it. Hathor told her it was all in her mind, but regardless how much she wished herself to go there, she remained where she was; conscious and immobile watching Sekhmet as she used her body against her will.

* * *

 

Lilly had no idea how much time had passed before she was once again standing in the luxurious room that Hathor had created in the head. This time the divan was already occupied by the goddess who was watching her with an unreadable expression on her face.

 

_“That was quick. You are stronger than I suspected.”_

 

Lilly was not sure what to say to that, so she remained silent.

 

_“I’m sure you have questions?”_

 

She had a lot of questions, but no idea where to start. ‘What was Hathor doing here? How could she be here? Was she getting insane? How could she get rid of Sekhmet? How…’

 

_“I am being imprisoned, much like you. I’m here because I am wherever Sekhmet is. You are not getting insane and I know exactly how to get rid of Sekhmet.”_

 

“You…you do?” Lilly was so astonished that did not even realise that Hathor obviously read her thoughts. Well, they were sharing the same head space maybe it was to be expected.

 

_“Of course!”_

 

“Of course!” Lilly repeated and blinked several times. Why the hell was she still in this situa-tion if she knew exactly how to get rid of her?

 

_“Theoretically!”_ The goddess added and sniffed. _“And I did not say it was easy!”_

 

“Stop that!”

 

_“I can’t help it if you are thinking so loud, saira.”_

 

“Stop reading my mind and stop calling me that name!” It reminded her of Aden and she did not want to think about him. But at least she knew his fate, while Ardeths was still unknown to her.

 

_“He lives!”_

 

“What?”

 

_“The good looking Medjai warrior, who was so worried for you?”_ Lilly did not like the amused smile on Hathor’s lips. It felt as if she was laughing at herself. _“He made it out alive!”_

 

“How do you know that?”

 

_“I am a goddess!”_

 

Lilly squinted her eyes at her but accepted the answer. She was a goddess after all, so she would know, right? Relief washed through her. Ardeth was alive! For a few minutes, she simply revelled in that knowledge before…

 

“You think he is good looking?”

 

The smile on Hathor’s lips widened, as she tipped her jewelled finger against her forehead. _“ **You** think he is good looking, hashina.”_

 

“I have a name, you know?”

 

_“It does not suit you! It is too soft and yielding to describe you.”_ Hathor told her matter-of-factly.

 

“And hashina suits me?”

 

_“I could call you Nafriti, if you like that better!_ ” The goddess smirked at the sour look on her face at being called the virgin one. She enjoyed riling her up.

 

There is nothing wrong with being untouched, Lilly thought grimly.

 

_“Well, I am the goddess of love. I do take offense for playing such a minor role in your live until now, hashina.”_

 

Taking a deep breath Lilly forced herself to calm down. “Could we come back to the part where you tell me how to get rid of Sekhmet?” As soon as she saw Hathor open her mouth she quickly added: “Theoretically.” That shut her up and it took a while before she decided to answer her.

 

_“What do you know about Sekhmet?”_

 

“The usual, I guess.” Lilly shrugged and seated herself in one of the chairs before she contin-ued. “When mankind betrayed him, Ra turned you into Sekhmet. A wild beast to slaughter those who tried to defy him. Ra took pity with us mortals and wanted to stop her, but she escaped him.”

 

_“That is only partly true. He did not simply turn me into Sekhmet, she created her.”_

 

“Where is the difference?”

 

_“Turn would mean, that all that I am became her, but that did not happen. Ra created a com-pletely new deity and put her into my body. Just one of us can be in control. We are like two sides of the same coin.”_

 

Lilly did not comment that both goddesses were currently in her body.

 

_“Yes, hashina your body. My own was destroyed by that idiotic boy who thought he could kill a god!”_ Hathor sniffed. _“When he realised he could not kill my -our spirit – he looked me -us up.”_

 

“Why the canopic jars?”

 

_“Do you think you can just cram us into a box and put a lid on it?”_ She sneered. _“No, you have to separate the Ib, Sheut, Ren, Bâ and Ka.”_

 

The five parts of the soul. That seemed logical. Somewhat. “How is it possible to separate Sekhmet?” Her answer was silence. “It…it is possible to separate her?”

 

_“Theoretically, yes.”_

 

Slowly but steadily that word stroked her ire. “What does that mean exactly?”

 

_“Well, I doubt very much that Sekhmet would help you to get rid of her, but she is currently in possession of this body. No, first we must take over control.”_

 

“And you want me to believe that as soon as you are in control you will allow me to get rid of you both?”

 

_“Well,”_ Hathor shrugged her shoulders. _“See it from this point: Your chances with me in control are much higher than with her!”_

 

Narrowing her eyes, she starred at the goddess but had to admit that she was right. “Okay, so…what do we have to do…to switch control?”

 

_“As I said before we are two sides of the same coin. Who is in control mainly depends on the domineering emotions. I am the goddess of love, music and childbirth while my counterpart stands for war and slaughter.”_

 

“So simply put, negative emotions put her in control while positive ones give you the leading role?”

 

_“Simply put, yes!”_

 

“How do we do that?”

 

_“Unfortunately, all three of us are feeling a lot of negative emotions right now! Which is not that surprising.”_

 

“Well, I’m not feeling all that happy!”

 

_“Understandable. None the less I need your help to switch control.”_

 

“I still do not understand how to do that. Happiness is not something you can force on some-one.”

 

_“Yes, but first and foremost I am the goddess of love, music and childbirth. I am the strongest when I am worshipped that way.”_

 

“So?”

 

_“I need to be worshipped! Well,”_ She drawled and added with a grin. _“As I am currently in your body, I guess **we** need to be worshipped.”_

 

It took a moment for Lilly to understand what Hathor was trying to tell her. Quite a long mo-ment actually. When she finally realised the meaning behind her words, Lilly’s eyes got wide and a firefly hot blush crept up her cheeks. “What? No!”

 

_“We need your Medjai-warrior.”_

 

If possible the blush got even more intense, but she managed to shake her head vehemently. “No! I am not risking Ardeth’s life! Or have you forgotten that Sekhmet is in charge?”

 

_“Ahhh! So, you are not against the idea, of him worshipping you, hashina!”_ Hathor clapped her hands in glee.

 

By now her face had probably the same colour as her hair.“I don’t want him anywhere near Sekhmet! She will kill him as soon as she sees him! No, I will not allow that!”

 

_“She won’t kill him! Any other man would not fare well in her presence, I give you that but not your Medjai-warrior. Even Sekhmet is intrigued by him.”_

 

“Intrigued?” Lilly did not like the sound of that and she liked Hathor’s playful smile even less.

 

_“If you like it or not, right now, Sekhmet is as much part of you as me. We are one! It is hard for us to separate your feelings from our own. She would not harm him, because **you** would never harm him. Without him, it could take decades for me to get strong enough to overpower her, even for a short amount of time!”_

 

Lilly did not like it. She neither liked to be a helpless bystander in her own body nor did she like the possibility of risking Ardeth’s life. Beyond that she highly doubted that Hathor would give up control once they got Sekhmet out of the way. But the world would probably be a safer place with Hathor in charge. So, what choice did she have? “You vow that Ardeth will not be harmed in any way?”

 

_“Your warrior will not be harmed!”_ Hathor nodded solemnly and Lilly nearly believed her. Closing her eyes, she sighed deeply. “Alright, how will we find him?”

 

_“Oh, do not worry Hashina, he will find us!”_

 

Lilly did not like the sound of that, not one bit!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hashina= Hasina means Good or Pretty, I adapted it a little bit  
> Nafriti= Virgin One
> 
> Concept of the soul: 
> 
> The ib: the heart; the seat of emotion, thought, will and intention. The heart was the key to the afterlife. After death, the heart was examined by Anubis and the deities during the Weighing of the Heart ceremony. If the heart weighed more than the feather of Ma'at, it was immediately consumed by the monster Ammit.
> 
> The sheut: the shadow; as it is always present, Egyptians believed that it contains something of the person it represents.
> 
> The ren: the name; Egyptians believed that it would live for as long as that name was spoken, which explains why efforts were made to protect it and the practice of placing it in numerous writings. 
> 
> The Bâ; the “personality”; the Bâ represents everything that makes the person an individual and unique. It is the part that will live even when the body is dead. 
> 
> The Ka: the vital spark. It is best described as spirit and believed to be blown into each living being at birth.


	20. Chapter 16: Of gods an men

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everybody. Your comments definitely helped to kick my muse :-) Please continue.
> 
> It was not so easy to write the dialogue between Ardeth and Sekhmet at first (how does an ancient goddess act?). Though I guess I can describe her however I see fit, I wanted her to be "godly" somehow. "Otherwordly" is maybe the better word for it. I suppose she would not speak like anybody else.  
> I am not sure if I was successful. 
> 
> Nonetheless I am proud that I finished this chapter! Enjoy.

Despite nearly dying half a dozen times over the last couple of months, Ardeth Bay was not stupid. A bit reckless maybe, even after defeating Imhotep and the Scorpion King, but not stupid. He knew that it was dangerous -and probably a trap- but he had to go to Dendera. And he had to do it alone.

Rashid as his second, would take over if it came to the worst. Which was not so unlikely given that he was seeking out the goddess of destruction.

Taking a deep breath, he dismounted his stallion and looked up at the statures of Hathor that glimmered in the fading afternoon sunlight. From his position, he got the impression that the stone faces were glaring down at him, daring him to step inside.

Into the lion’s den.

 _“Come to us!”_ A baneful shudder ran down his back as he remembered the multi-layered voice of Lilly-Hathor-Sekhmet, but instead of turning around to flee he gathered his saddlebag and stepped inside. Like expected, the inside was considerable cooler and darker. After a few steps, he haltered for a moment to allow his eyes to adapt before he followed the path towards his destiny from his memory. He moved silently through the ancient complex and it did not take him long to reach the entrance to the sanctuary. Everything looked exactly like in his dream sans one thing: He was alone. There was no Lilly waiting for him, possessed or otherwise. His knees wobbled and his shoulders sunk down in defeat. Could he have been wrong? Was his dream nothing more than a last desperate attempted to give him false hope?

No! He could not give up because she was not standing in the exact same spot as he remembered from his dream. Pulling himself together he took another look around. Dreams were memories, visions and guidelines that were supposed to help a person to reach a goal or warn him. In his case it was probably a mix of everything.

He had seen the three versions of Lilly standing to his right in his dream, so he decided to explore that side of the temple a bit further. Aimlessly he wandered around and cursed his lack of a torch in the decreasing daylight. It had been quite some time since he had been here and could not remember much beside the basic structure. He smiled a bit, as Lilly’s knowledge of ancient architecture crossed his mind. She would probably know everything that was to know about this place. The smile on his face dimmed and his heart arched as the reality of the situation washed over him. Lilly was a vessel to a goddess. Whoever he would find here, it would not be Lilliana Blackmoore, just her body.

_“They are two sides of the same coin; all you have to do is to turn it around!”_

“The same coin,” he muttered and pushed himself to go further. An hour later he had circled the whole temple without finding anyone or anything that showed resemblance to a camp. Disappointed he realised that he had been wrong.

As it was too late by now to ride back he decided to spend the night inside the temple. Collecting the few half rotten palm leaves he had seen near the entrance he found a suitable place to set up a camp. Laying back on his thin blanket and resting his head on the uncomfortable saddle bag he starred in the merrily dancing flames of the small fire in front of him and tried to clear his head. But the longer he starred into the flames the more they reminded him of Lilly’s exotic hair. He remembered her dancing among the people of his tribe, that one carefree evening among his people. The way her hair had had swayed and reflected the light of the bonfire. Her bright smile and happy laughter as she was twirled around to the rhythmic music. Not for the first time he regretted not asking her to dance himself. But the opportunity had passed and would never arise again. With a deep sigh, he drifted into sleep.

 

 

It was the overwhelming smell that woke him from his slumber in the early hours of the morning. A heady mix of blood, sweat and sour milk that surrounded him like mist. With a gagging noise, he opened his eyes and nearly fainted as he starred into the blood red eyes of Sekhmet who hovered above him. Stifling a scream, he tried to regulate his breathing and fast beating heart as he starred back.

She was so close that he could not make out much beside her red eyes and wild hair that was framing her face. His nose started to twitch in protest as her nauseating odour assaulted him further as she leant even closer to his face. Shuddering he tried to lay as still as possible, fully aware of his own vulnerability.

 _“Med-jai!”_ She finally acknowledged him in the same Lilly-like voice he remembered. _“You come to control me like the other men?”_ Ardeth could feel her warm breath tickling over his skin as she moved from one side of his face to the other. His overactive heart was pumping blood through his vessels nearly loud enough to drown out her voice.

Suddenly she leant back and he closed his eyes to take a deep, clean breath while he tried to get a grip on himself. No easy task, if you were at the mercy of an ancient goddess of destruction. Ardeth could still feel her weight on him so he knew she wasn’t gone. Everything in him screamed to get away from her, but Ardeth was no stranger to fear and managed to calm himself down after a moment or two. Slowly he opened his eyes.

Sekhmet was sitting on his middle and starred down at him with a look of open curiosity, as if he was a puzzle she could not figure out. Her hair was wild and tangled, framing her face like a lion’s mane. She was still wearing the clothes, Lilly had worn on that fateful day inside the temple but by now the trousers and linen blouse were partly ripped and heavily covered in dirt, sweat and blood. Her boots had vanished altogether and from what he could see, her feet and fingers were scratched and bloody as well. His eyes wandered up and finally looked with hers.

“Other men?” He rasped out. Was she speaking about Lord Weißenburg’s men? Her head turned slightly to the side while she starred at him.

_“Others before you; Ra, Abu, Ramses, the white-haired foreigner. Men try to control me, use me for their own gain.”_

“No,” Ardeth replied truthfully. That laughable thought had never crossed mind.

_“Destroy me then?”_

Nervously licking his lips, Ardeth was not sure how to answer her. “No.” He finally whispered.

 _“Do not lie to me!”_ She hissed enraged and gripped his throat between steel like fingers. _“You are all the same! If you cannot control me you seek to destroy me!”_

“No,” Ardeth choked out while he fruitlessly tried to get out of her grip. “Not any-any m-more!”

As quickly as her fury had taken over it vanished, as well as the vice like band around his throat. Coughing and panting he tried to get enough air into his lungs. All the while Sekhmet was just watching him from above, in a quite manner that stood in great contrast to her actions just minutes before. She was dangerous. He should never forget that, regardless how calm she appeared.

_“You cannot bear to destroy my vessel.”_

“Her name is Lilly!”

 _“You are protective of her, yet you are not family,”_ She observed clinically. _“Or a lover, as this body, is pure and untouched.”_ To underline her words, her hands slowly outlined the curves of Lilly’s body. To his great shame Ardeth could not help himself but follow her movements with his eyes. Even blood smeared and covered in racks, Lilly was a beautiful woman. The exotic colour of her hair and eyes (when she was not possessed by Sekhmet) in combination with her light, though now partly burned/tanned, skin made her stand out in his land. Like a flame in the dark.

Sekhmet grinned like a cat that got the canary. _“Ah, so it is like that! You desire her!”_

Instantly, his eyes snapped up to hers, while he could feel a hot blush covering this face. Though he could not tell if it was out of anger or shame.

_“Why?”_

“Why what?” He snapped angered by the uncomfortable situation.

_“Why are you not lovers? You desire her and she has a deep affection for you.”_

“What?” The look she sent him, left no doubt that she thought him dense.

_“She sheltered you, nourished you and put your health before her own. She screams, cries and begs for your life, every time we meet. It is rather annoying.”_

“She is still in there?” Suddenly his heart was beating a mile a minute and without thinking he reached out to touch her. Before his hand was half way in the air, he was pinned to the ground once again. Her nearness meant that his nose was once again assaulted by her heavy odour. Ardeth tried his best to keep himself from gagging, but she was leaning forward and pressing her nose against his neck.

_“Tell me Med-jai, why don’t you just take what you want? Men like to do that!”_

“I am not like that!” He choked. “I would never hurt her!”

Laughing softly, she traced the shell of his ear with her tongue and Ardeth felt a strange mix of repulsion and arousal ripple through his body. _“Never?”_

“Never!”

_“You would watch me destroy everything and everyone you swore to protect, just to safe this vessel?”_

Yes! He wanted to scream at her and more so at himself. Yes, he Ardeth the man, wanted to safe and protect her at any cost, but Ardeth the chieftain could not do that. He had sworn an oath to protect his lands and people from all evil, regardless of his own feelings. Shame and despair washed over him as he realised that he would follow his oath. If there was no other way, he would have to kill her. Turning his face as far away from her as possible he refused to answer.

Once again, the weight above him lifted as she set up again, this time he stubbornly refused to look at her.

“ _You are a strange man, Ardeth Bay.”_ With a finger, she mapped the lines of his tattoo.

 _“Courage. But is it courage or stupidly to come here. You cannot win against me, you cannot bear to hurt my vessel yet you cannot go against your vow.”_ Gritting his teeth, he remained impassive. _“You knew all that before you came to find me, yet you are here. It takes courage to face your fate with open eyes.”_

Ardeth did not feel very courageous at the moment, more like a mouse hiding from a particular nasty cat. Starring at the stone wall, he tried to remember why he had come here at all. The vision. His naïve hope to rescue Lilly.

“And what will be my fate?” He was sure her answer would be a cruel laugh or a at least slap to his face but nothing happened. In fact, she remained utterly quiet and finally Ardeth curiosity made him look at her again. Once again, she starred at him like a puzzle she could not figure out.

_“I have not decided that yet.”_

Ardeth was not sure if that was a good thing or not. “And until you do?”

_“We wait!”_

 

 

Hours later, Ardeth asked himself what they were waiting for. Since their talk in the early morning hours she had not spoken to him again. From one moment to the other she had stood up and walked a few feet away from him before she fell in some sort of stupor.

Though she was motionless, Ardeth was not stupid enough to think that he could just walk out of here. For now, she had decided to spare him, but that did not mean she could not change her mind. Could it be that it was Lilly’s influence? Sekhmet had told him that she was pleading for his life was there any possibility for her to get the upper hand?

The temple had hidden the canopic jars that held the five parts of her soul, so he figured that it was necessary to separate it from Lilly’s body. But how? There had to be a specific ritual (which he had no knowledge of) and specific utensils (he did not possess). Besides that, he highly doubted that Sekhmet would just stand by and let him to it, even if he knew how.

Frustrated he grasped his saddle bag and looked for something to eat.

_“What are you doing Medjai?”_

The unexpected sound of her voice nearly caused him to jump. “I am looking for something to eat. Or is it your plan to starve me to death?”

She did not answer him but regarded his eating with open curiosity. “You should eat as well.”

_“I am immortal.”_

“In a mortal body.”

_“There is no need to worry about my vessel. I do not need nourishment.”_

“But maybe a bath,” Ardeth muttered under his breath. Before he could pop the dried fruit into his mouth Sekhmet was in front of him. He gulped.

 

 

Half an hour later he was standing beside Sekhmet on the stairs of the Sacred Lake westward from the Hathor temple. In former times, the lake had been filled with water through an underground connection to the Nil. The priests had bathed here to purify themselves before entering the temple. These days the pond was dry and sheltered a grove of palms.

More correctly, the pond had been dry until a few minutes ago. That was before Sekhmet had stomped her godly little foot on the ground and water started to pour out of the ground. Fascinated Ardeth starred at the quickly filling lake. I would not take long before the water was high enough to take a bath in it he realised. He had not expected her to take him up on his suggestion and certainly not the way she was doing it now. For a while they both just watched the water level.

“ _You will assist me.”_

“Assist you with –“ The rest of his words died in his mouth as he turned around and watched her as she pulled her blouse over her head. “What are you doing?!”

 _“Undressing.”_ She told him calmly and continued to rid herself of the shredded clothes. Wide eyed he watched as more and more skin was revealed. It was not until she was nearly naked that he got out of his stupor and hastily turned around. Flushing hotly, he cursed under his breath.

_“I did not take you for a shy man.”_

“You confuse shyness with respect!”

 _“And you, restraint with courtship._ ”

He could hear splashing behind him so he supposed she had stepped into the water.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

_“How will you ever win her for yourself if you do not tell her about your interest.”_

What happened to his life that he was talking about his none-existing love life with a goddess? A goddess that was in possession of the body of the woman he just recently discovered his feelings for. Somehow life had been much easier, when he had simply to fight mummies and ancient kings.

“What does it matter to you?” He snapped angry and could not keep the despair entirely out of his voice as he added: “It does not matter anymore anyway.”

 _“She is still in me.”_ His hands balled to fits. How could she be so near and unreachable at the same time? _“We are one and the same.”_

“No,” he twirled around, too angry to care. Sekhmet was standing in the waist high water, blood free and cleanly scrubbed. The long red hair was covering her chest and providing her with some sort of modesty, even though that was more for his comfort than for her. “You are not! You just stole her body!”

Sekhmet just looked at him without moving a muscle for a minute or two. _“She hears, sees, feels, tastes and smells what I do. We are like different sides of the same coin. When you speak to me, you speak to her.”_

“What did you just say?” Shell-shocked he starred at her. _They are two sides of the same coin; all you have to do is to turn it around!_ He could hear the voice of his dream-son clear in his head. It could not be by chance that Sekhmet used the same words.

_“You do not believe me!”_

No, in fact he did believe her. The same coin. Two sides. Turn it around. But how could he do that? Suddenly he got an idea.

“No, you are just trying to trick me into believing some part of Lilly is still there so it will be harder for me to act against you!”

_“You accuse me of lying!?”_

“I accuse you of trying to manipulate me!”

Instead of an angry scowl, that earned him a wicked grin which made him considerably more nervous than any aggressive behaviour. With weary eyes, he watched her slowly gliding through the water nearer towards him. Transfixed he watched as she reached the stairs and slowly got out of the still only half full pond. Ardeth gulped soundly as she rose higher and higher on the stairs, not one stich of cloth covering her body. With a herculean amount of self-control, he manged to keep his eyes on her face.

 _“You seem reluctant to believe my words, maybe she can convince you that I am telling the truth. I wanted to spare you the misery of losing her again, but you beg for it.”_ She did not stop before she was standing directly in front of him, her skin nearly touching his, thankfully full covered, body. Her smile turned impossible wide. _“Remember my words!”_

Before he could ask what she was talking about, her eyes turned from vivid red to a deep familiar green, that looked at him in confusion.

“Ardeth?”

“Lilly?” He asked hesitantly unsure what to make of the situation.

“Yes? I…I think so?” She stuttered and he noticed that she was once again talking in English not in the old language. He could see the raising panic in her eyes and when her breathing started to come out in irregular gasps he threw all caution in the wind and pulled her gently against him, too overwhelmed by the situation to care if it was just a trick.

“Schh, everything will be fine, Azusa.” Her arms wrapped tightly around his waist and he could feel a shaky laugh leaving her body.

“Why, is everyone giving me nicknames these days?” He wanted to ask who everyone was but decided it was better to remain silent. For a while they just stood there, hugging each other and enjoying the comfort they could provide for each other.

“Ardeth?”

She whispered so softly he could barely hear her. He could feel her lifting her head from his chest and looked worriedly down at her. She was nervously starring at his face and biting on her bottom lip and he was about to ask her what was on her mind, when he felt strong hands pulling him down.

Before he had a chance to react in any way she kissed him.

 

 

Sacred Lake Dendera

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Azusa = means Lilly
> 
> Sacred Lake: On the west side of Dendera there is in deed a stony pound that is known as the Sacred Lake. In former times it was filled with water from the Nile. In theory the underground connection it still there. Priests and guests of the temple would bath themselves in it before entering the temple.  
> These days the lake is dry. A grove of palms a growing there.


	21. Chapter 17: Joining

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You see I am getting better...this chapter took me only 2 month! Not 6 or 9 ;-)
> 
> It was pretty hard to write this. It still feels like a clumsy attempt to push them together in some parts but after rewriting it several times (thanks to my computer crashing down and eating half of this chapter and simply being unsatisfied with how it turned out) this is the best I could come up with.

Loud talk: "Hello"

Hathor in Lilly's head: " _Hello"_

Lilly talking to Hathor in her head: 'Hello'

* * *

Chapter seventeen: Joining

‘Oh my god! Oh my god, what am I doing?’ Lilly’s thoughts were in chaos.

_“You are seducing him. And doing an astonishing good job, given your lack of experience. And the correct form would be, oh my goddess!”_

Hathor’s snippy comments did not help to ease her panic. In fact, the reminder of her lack of experience made it even worse. What had she been thinking? She could not do this!She was crap at this!

In a moment of insanity, she had listened to Hathor’s demand and kissed Ardeth! Not that she did not want to. She did. Had thought about it for quite some time, long before she had become a vessel to an ancient goddess. Two actually. But when she had thought about it, it had not been like this (in her defence nobody could come up with a scenario quite like this one). It was not the lack of the romantic setting or the two blind passengers in the back of her mind that irritated her most about this scenario.

It was the lack of participation on Ardeth’s part. He did not respond to her kiss, like at all! He had gone completely rigid when she had pressed her lips against his and not moved a muscle since then.

_“You surprised him! He just needs a bit motivation. Use your tongue, in my experience that al-ways helps!”_

Flushing with embarrassment because of her behaviour as well as Hathor’s comment, she let go of him, leaned back and broke the kiss. She opened her mouth to apologise for her daring behaviour but before she could utter one word, his lips were back on hers. And this time he was kissing her. Oh, lord! And what a kiss.

_“Oh well, he is obviously no novice!”_

Her senses were in overdrive. Her heart was beating much too fast, her breathing was uneven and her skin felt much too sensitive against the rough cloth of Ardeth’s robes. None of the kisses she had experienced in the past felt remotely like this. Slowly, her hands found their way back around his neck and her lips and tongue mimicked his movements as best as she could. No longer a deedless bystander she enjoyed every second of it. Ardeth Bay was a passionate man, she had known that from the start and it felt glorious to be the focus of his passion. He kissed her as if his life depended on it.

 _“Well it does, hashina. His life and that of everyone else. So please kiss him back! You do not want him to get the wrong idea._ "

As if someone had thrown a bucket of cold water above her, she jerked back.

The vice like bands of his arms around her, did not let her go very far. Breathing heavily, she looked up and was overcome by some sort of female satisfaction as she noticed the state he was in: His hair tousled, his cheeks flushed and his lips slightly swollen from their kissing. But it was the look in his eyes that had her breath hitch in her throat: Desire.

Ardeth Bay desired her. Her. And it was a heady feeling.

Swallowing hard she tried to remember why she stopped kissing him.

“ _Because you are clearly insane! Continue! Right about now!_ "

‘No!’ She thought! ‘No, I will not force him to do anything he does not want to!’

 _“Oh, yes he is clearly unwilling!”_ Hathor scoffed and Lilly had to admit that she had a point. He seemed pretty enthusiastic, unless… What was if Ardeth did not kiss her because he wanted to but because of Hathor? She was the goddess of love after all. Maybe she influenced him and-

 _“Don’t be absurd, hashina!”_ Hathor interrupted her. _“There is no need to use my power on this one. You on the other hand might need a push in the right direction. We talked about this. It’s the only way to take control over Sekhmet!”_

“Lilly?” Ardeth’s voice ripped her out of her inner debate. Her eyes focused on him again and with dis-appointment she noticed that the desire had vanished and worry had taken its place. She was still intimately pressed against him and with sudden clearance she remembered that she was absolutely stark naked! Her cheeks flushed with the heat of embarrassment and all the self-assurance she had felt, only moments before, vanished.

“Lilly, are you alright?”

Out of reflex she wanted to say yes, but stopped herself before she could do so.“No.” She shook her head. “No, I am not alright!” And to her great shame she burst into tears.

 

 

Half an hour later she was sitting on Ardeth’s bedroll, enfolded in his kaftan. She felt like the big-gest idiot on the planet but at least she had stopped crying. Ardeth had left, if reluctantly, to refill his water bag and she was thankful that she had a minute for herself. At least she was as alone as she could be with another being in her head. But for now, Hathor was silent. As was Sekhmet.

She knew that the other goddess was still in her but she had no idea why she allowed her to take over control. Though Hathor and she had talked about ways to take over, she had not expected it so soon or to be so easy. It had to be a trick. More importantly, it had been Sekhmet’s choice to give up control. She could take it back any time she wanted.

The thought of being a prisoner in her own body again frightened her more than anything else. She knew she did not possess the power to stop her.

_“But I do, hashina!”_

“Can’t you leave me alone, just for one minute?!” She muttered angrily.

“I am sorry, I can leave!” It took her a moment to realise that it was not Hathor that had answered her but Ardeth who had returned from outside.

"No wait! I was not talking to you! Please do not leave!”

He remained where he was but the look he was sending her way made her wince. For a short moment, she was tempted to ask Hathor to take over and continue where they left off on the lake. Lilly had no doubt that the goddess could distract Ardeth form the obvious questions he had. As quick as the thought popped into her mind she discarded it. Nervously she nipped at her bottom lip, unsure how to proceed. Finally, she simply reached out her hand and sighed in relief when he took it without a second thought and settled beside her.

“She is still in me!” She blurted out only to bite her bottom lip once again. Ardeth did not seem surprised by her news and simply nodded.

“I thought as much. Do you know why she backed off?”

“No, but I think she is simply playing with us both.” _Cats liked to play with her prey, didn’t they?_ “When Lord Weißenburg’s lackeys destroyed the canopic jars inside the temple they released the Eye of Ra and I was the nearest fitting vessel. In a way, Sekhmet told you the truth when she said that she and I are one and the same. I could see, feel, hear, smell and taste everything but I had no longer control over my own body. It was as if I was pushed into the back of my mind and forced to watch like bystander.”

Silence stretched between them and Lilly was unsure how to proceed. How could she tell Ardeth that not only were there two gods in her mind but in order to remain in control one of them required to be worshipped. Lilly could feel her skin heating in embarrassment as she remembered Hathor’s detailed description about how the worshipping should look like.

_“Do not be embarrassed, hashina. It is only natural.”_

‘Easy for you to say!’ With a few millennia of experience, she might not be as nervous as she was.

 _“Oh, I am pretty sure your Medja warrior has enough experience for the two of you,”_ Hathor sounded amused and Lilly winced when the goddess tried to picture Ardeth without his robes.

‘Stop that!”

_“Why? It isn’t as if you have never thought about it!”_

By now her face probably had the same colour as her hair. Lilly had always pictured herself as a modern woman. One who was not afraid of voicing her opinion and who abandoned the strict rules society had formed for women. The fact that she travelled to Egypt on her own and worked for pleasure rather than money, was quite scandalous and daring. That she accompanied Ardeth through the desert and joined him in a dangerous quest was so outrageous that she would be ‘the talk’ for ages to come. But regardless of her daring behaviour up to this point, she could not bring herself to talk to Ardeth about that.

_“You already kissed him. All on your own I might add. I assure you from there on it is not that far to-“_

“Oh, shut up!”

“I gather that you are not talking to me?” Ardeth’s cool voice ripped her out of her debate. Swallowing hard she looked at him but could not find her voice. So, she simply shook her head.

“Are you talking to Sekhmet?”

Again, she could only move her head, but instead of confusing Ardeth like she expected he mumbled: “Two sides of the same coin. It is not only Sekhmet but Hathor too!”

“Yes!” She whispered and as if a dam had been broken she told him about the creation of the Eye. How Ra created a new being but shoved it into the body of Hathor. She told him about Abu’s failed attempt of destroying the Eye and how he only managed to destroy their body. And finally, she told him about the goddesses. About how only one could be in control, depending on the prom-inent emotion and how Hathor told her that there might be a way to get rid of Sekhmet.

“So, why is Hathor not in control at the moment, although Sekhmet backed off?”

The question surprised her. Why indeed?

_“Because she did not give up control. She simply allowed you to take a breather.”_

“I do not think that is so easy. Negative emotion like anger and fury allow Sekhmet to be in control and just because she allowed me back some power over my body does not mean she is not in charge.”

“I gather a few centuries of imprisonment equal very much anger and fury?”

“To put it mildly!” “You said Hathor told you about a way how to stop Sekhmet?”

“She hinted that there was a way.” Given the way Ardeth looked at her, he was not happy with such a vague answer either but it could not be helped.

“Do you trust her?” She had expected the question but that did not make it any easier to answer. Did she trust Hathor? Could she trust a goddess who wanted her freedom as much as the goddess currently in control? Lilly had no reason to believe her, but also nothing to prove her wrong. And for the mo-ment, Hathor did not find it necessary to assure her of her honourable intentions.

“I trust that she wants to get rid of Sekhmet. If only for the fact to get her body back for her-self.”

“Your body!” Ardeth mumbled so quietly she barley heard him. He looked so anguished that it broke her heart. Their hands were still linked so she squeezed it gently.

"Yes Ardeth, my body. But if it comes to the worst, don’t you think Hathor is the lesser of two evils?”

“No!” He shouted all of the sudden and jumped to his feet. “No! I do not care if she is the less-er evil of the two! Neither of them have the right to steal you! I am not helping Hathor if that means she will act just like Sekhmet!” Somewhere during his rant, he had switched from English to Arabic without noticing, which showed her more than anything else how affected he was by the situation.

“Ardeth, the only other option I see is,” she swallowed hard. “The only other option might be to kill-“

“NO!” From one moment to the other he had pulled her up, grasped her shoulders and shook her. “Never! You will not die. I won’t allow it.”

It was just too much; the situation, his emotional outburst, her own conflicted feelings. She could feel the hot rush of tears spilling over her cheeks. Again! And much like before she was help-less against it.

“It might be the only way. I am rather dead than a helpless prisoner in my own body!” She wailed and it was not a lie. The passing months had been hell. “You have to stop them!”

“I can’t!” He whispered and his fingers dug deeper into her shoulder.

“Why not!? You would not hesitate to do it for someone else!”

“Because it is you!” He yelled. “Don’t you get it you stubborn, irrational woman! I can’t be-cause it’s you! Because killing you would be like ripping out my own heart. I love-“

Before he could finish his sentence, she pulled him against her and kissed him. This time she did not hesitate and held nothing back and neither did he. His arms wound around her so tightly that it was nearly impossible to breath. But who needed breath when they were kissed like this?

The kiss by the lake had felt intense but this…this was desperate and wild. It felt as if she had finally found an outlet for all the pent-up emotions inside her. Their lips clashed against each other and she moaned as the salty, bitter taste of her tears mixed with the sweet flavour of the dried fruit he had eaten. His tongue slipped into her mouth without much finesse but with so much raw need that she could feel her knees going weak. A pained hiss left his lips as she buried her hands in his hair in a desperate attempted to hold herself up.

He tried to break the kiss but she was not willing to let him go so easily. She mimicked the movement of his tongue as good as she could and sighed in relief when he gave in with a groan. The kiss turned gentler though and Lilly could feel herself relaxing in his hold.

“Azusa,” he mumbled against her lips. “We-“

“No, don’t stop!” In that moment, she was not thinking about Sekhmet or Hathor and what this could mean for their future. All she was thinking about was Ardeth. About the way he smelt, tasted and made her feel. She did not want this to end, for purely selfish reasons. “Please, do not leave me.”

He looked torn; lust, fear, affection and guilt flittered across his handsome face before he made up his mind and cupped her cheeks with booth of his hands. “Never!” He vowed fiercely. “But let me do this right!”

 

 

Ten minutes later a small fire was sizzling beside the still thin but much more comfortable bed-roll, thanks to another blanket Ardeth had pulled form his saddle-bag.

They were standing on opposite sides of the fire and staring at each other. Lilly was surprised that she did not feel nervous. She wanted this, wanted him and from the look in his eyes he wanted her too but was to noble to make the first step. Even now he was giving her a chance to change her mind. Instead of running away she looked him firmly in the eye and opened the kaftan. With a shrug of her shoulder it dropped to the ground. Even form this distance she could see the desire burning in his eyes and heard the soft groan that left his lips. Never before had she felt so powerful or so desired. A small smile tugged on her lips as she reached out her hand for him in a silent de-mand which he followed without hesitation.

This time their kiss was sweet and full of promises as they sunk to the makeshift bed.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time line:  
> 1912, September: Lilly's birth  
> 1921, April: Aden's death, Lilly takes the medallion, return to Germany  
> 1933, September: Lilly's 21th birthday, return to Egypt
> 
> 1935 (main plot):  
> February: Ardeth, Lilly meet each other in Cairo, the medallion is robbed, Ardeth is shot
> 
> March: Ardeth, Lilly travel towards Ardeth's tribe, visit Deir-el-Bahari, Lord Weißenburg gets the last missing sun disk
> 
> April: Giazah, discovering of Sekhmet's resting place, Ardeth gets shot (again), discovery of the secret temple under the Sphinx and Sekhmet takes Lilly as a vessel
> 
> September: Ardeth has his first "prophetic" dream and visits Deir-el-Bahari a second time
> 
> November: Ardeth has his second "prophetic" dream and travels towards Dendera where he meets Sekhmet


	22. Standstill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As always it took me a while to write this and I am not really happy with how this chapter turned out. It is more of a fill in, but I guess they are necessary sometimes.

The fire had burned down nearly completely by the time Lilly had fallen in an exhausted sleep. Physically, Ardeth felt exhausted too but his mind would not come to rest. Laying on his side he started thoughtfully at the woman beside him while he traced the lines of her naked back with the tip of his finger. Her face was turned towards him and for the first time he noticed how young she looked.

 

Appalled he realised that he did not even know how old she was! In 1921, when his father had been killed she had been a little girl but how old had she been exactly? Maybe six or seven? That would make her roughly twenty. But that could not be right. She had to be older than twenty-one, otherwise she would not be allowed to be on her own. Had she not told him, that she had left Germany soon after she got control over her inheritance? So maybe twenty-two?

 

Suddenly he felt like an old lecherous man who took advantage of an innocent girl. Inwardly wincing he tried to chase of the thought. With thirty-one years he was hardly old and she was certainly no girl. _But innocent until you took advantage._

 

Instead of guilt, a wave of deep male satisfaction washed over him. In spite of the circumstances he could not find it in him to regret what had happened. Despite what his mother thought when he was younger, he had always held a healthy appreciation for women like every other red-blooded male. He simply tended to be close-lipped about it. Over the last couple of years there had not been much to keep silent about anyway. With Imhotep and the Scorpion King on the lose there had not been much time to seek out company and somewhere along the way he had lost interest in meaningless get-togethers altogether. And that was what they had been. Meaningless. Until now.

 

_“How did you know mother was the one for you? Did you know the first time you saw her?” A fourteen-year-old Ardeth had awkwardly asked._

 

_His father had laughed at him and shook his head. “No. At first I simply noticed her for her beauty and later liked that she was not as impressed by me like all the other females. Regardless what reckless stunt I did to get her to notice me, she would just cross her arms in front of her and tell me to ‘grow up’!”_

 

_“So, she was just a challenge?”_

 

_“At first,” Aden admitted. “But then my father died and I was forced to ‘grow-up’ as your mother put it. During that time, Samina was my source of strength. She would listen to me when I simply needed someone to talk to, about all the responsibilities that suddenly lay on my shoulders. She backed me -up when I let myself drown in self-doubt and or brought me back down to earth when my pride got the better of me.”_

 

_“That does not sound very romantic.”_

 

_“Maybe not, but love rarely develops from fancy words and pretty things. It is formed through shared experience and time I guess.”_

 

_“So, how did you know?”_

 

_Aden had shrugged his shoulders. “It was not a specific moment I can pinpoint. It happened over time. Someday I woke up and realised that she was my first thought in the morning and the last thought in the night. Her smile could warm me up like the mid-day sun and her voice could ease my sorrows like water my thirst. A day without her in it is like a day without light.”_

 

_Ardeth had rolled his eyes at his father’s cheesy description but inwardly asked himself if he would ever find someone like that._

 

_“And lucky for you, your mother decided that I had grown-up enough and put me out of my misery and agreed to marry me!”_

 

His father’s words, spoken half a life-time ago, flitted through his mind and brought a smile to his face. Maybe he finally understood what Aden had been talking about.

 

He continued to trace the lines of her face with his fingers and tried to ignore the ugly reality they would have to face in the light of the day. The past few hours had been like something from a dream. An isolated bubble that shielded them from the outside.

 

But what would happen when she opened her eyes? Would it be Lilly or Sekhmet looking at him? Or _Hathor?_ The fact that she had both goddesses in her made him feel even more helpless than he felt already. Though it was obviously possible for Lilly to take over the reins, at least temporally, they still had no idea how to get rid of her godly captor. _Captors_ , he corrected himself.

 

They needed to get rid of both. Unfortunately, he had no better idea how do that now, than he did before his hasty departure to the temple. Hathor’s claim about knowing a way to get rid of Sekhmet remained to be seen, but was doubtful at best. She might be interested in getting rid of the Eye but that was probably just self-interest. Hathor was as much in need of a vessel as Sekhmet.

 

In the old texts Hathor was displayed as a lovely and fair deity. The goddess of love, music and motherhood. That Ra singled her out to be the Eye was hard to comprehend and seemed harsh and cruel. Why not choose a goddess whose personality was more in accordance with the eye? Sekhmet and Hathor were like night and day, black and white...

 

_Two sides of the same coin._

 

Ardeth winced. Those words were never supposed to describe Sekhmet and Lilly, but Sekhmet and Hathor. It had all been a lie. Hathor was responsible for his vision. It was the goddess who had lured him to the temple, she had even branded him with her sign.

 

Frustrated and angry he let himself fall back on his back and cradled Lilly closer to him. She whimpered in protest for a moment but quickly calmed down again and nestled against him. In a protective reflex he tightened his arms around her and pressed a kiss on the top of her head.

 

There had to be a way to save her! Somehow there had to be a way to separate her from those godly leeches; A spell, a ritual or some magical artefact. He could not lose her, not now that he finally had her. She was like a hazy dream, a secret wish that he never dared to speak about loudly. He would do anything he could to keep her.

* * *

 

_From one moment to the other Lilly was suddenly standing in front of a temple she did not recognise. It was small but beautifully craved with so much gold covering the pillars and statures that it was nearly blinding. The air was so hot and dry that every breath, regardless how shallow, burned in her lungs. The thin cloth that covered her skin and head provided her only with minimal protection, so her best chance to get away from the murdering sun was to go inside the temple. And as if her thought was enough to make it happen, she was standing inside._

 

_From one moment to the other her ears and nose were bombarded with voices and scents. Myrrh and olibanum soaked the air but could not completely cover the biting scent of blood and sweat. It was a nauseating mix that had her clapping a hand against her throat in a natural reflex to stop herself from choking. At the same time shrill screams, loud yells and half a dozen voices swelling and falling in a rhythm like prayer attacked her eardrums. She wished she could be back in the burning sun, but remained unfortunately where she was. T_

 

_rying her level best to ignore the stench and the noise, she took a careful look around, not quite sure what she was witnessing. A few feet away from her, a couple of men had formed a circle. At least she thought they were men. The loose white linen robes hid most of their bodies and made it hard to figure out their gender. The skin that was visible was covered in gold just like the statures around her and painted with dozens of hieroglyphs. They were priests she realised._

 

_And they were obviously performing some kind of ritual._

 

_Cautiously she stepped nearer, but nobody stopped her as she made her way towards the group. The priests either did not notice her presence or simply ignored her._

 

_The ancient prayer made her uneasy, a bit panicked even, although she could not understand anything. Like before -when she wished to be inside the temple and suddenly was -the foreign words suddenly made sense and she realised that they were not praying but reciting a spell._

 

_A mummification spell or the like. Instead of organs it separated the five aspects of one’s soul: Ba, Ka, Ren, Sheut and Ib._

 

_With a harsh intake of breath, she finally realised what she was hearing -witnessing- and her eyes flicked towards the middle of the circle. There, withering on the floor was HER. Only it was not really her, or just her. It was all three of them: Lilly, Hathor and Sekhmet._

 

_One moment they were just one person -her: bright auburn hair, milk white skin and a pain strained face. The next moment two women materialised out of her and tried to get away from her. The one on the left was easily identified as Sekhmet, due to her unruly, flaming red hair that framed her angry face like a burning mane. Hathor on the right side had the same bronze skin as the other goddess but her hair was black and sleek, hiding most of her teary face. Both goddesses were desperately trying to get away from the Lilly-woman on the floor but regardless how much effort they put into it, they did not get far. One moment it seemed as if they could break away from her, the next they snapped back and merged with her only to materialise again a second later. All three of them were screaming in agony but the priest merciless continued with their spell._

 

_It was awful to watch but she was unable to look away. So that was her destiny? Becoming a screaming withering mass on the floor who looked half mad from pain and agony?_

 

_‘No, it does not have to be like that, hashina!’_

 

_Lilly flinched when Hathor, her golden eyed twin, unexpectedly appeared beside her but had no chance to react before the goddess raised her hand and snapped her finger. Slowly the scenery started to change._

 

_‘Look, it could be like that!”_

* * *

 

„We have to go where?”

 

“Esna!”

 

“But why? The temple there has nothing to do with either Hathor or Sekhmet!”

 

“True but it is a good ritual ground, as it is the temple of Khnum.”

 

_Khnum, the Divine Potter._ Ardeth was still confused, the location made little sense to him, but also worried him. Esna was not a good location for any ritual.

 

“That might be difficult!” Lilly had finally finished braiding her hair and looked at him.

 

“Is the temple destroyed?”

 

“No not destroyed but…um occupied.”

 

“What do you mean, occupied? How can a temple be occupied?”

 

“It is used as a cotton warehouse.”

 

“Come again?”

 

He cleared his throat a bit uncomfortable as he was not sure who starred at him with an angry glare; Lilly or one of the goddesses. Either way, none of them seemed pleased with it.

 

“As long as I can remember, the temple of Esna is used as some kind of warehouse. It might be difficult to go through with a ritual there.” He remembered what Sekhmet had done to people who desecrated sacred places and swallowed hard. For the blink of an eye he was sure he could see a flicker of red in her eyes, but it might be just his nerves getting the better of him.

 

The morning had not started the way he had hoped. Not that he had a specific plan in mind but waking up alone was not how he had imagined it. He had found her at the lake, swimming, and watched her glide gracefully through the miraculous clean water. She had smiled at him, but otherwise ignored his presence which left him a partly confused and partly hurt. He knew he was acting ridiculous. Like a boy who was not given the attention he sought form his first crush but could not help himself. Last night had changed things and he could not go on as if nothing happened.

 

The sight of her wrapped in his kaftan, when she returned inside the temple, appeased his manly pride somewhat and the kiss she placed on his lips a bit shyly, even more so. It was the soft blush on her cheeks that made him realise that she was not purposefully avoiding him but was unsure how to act around him now. But before he could assure her of his intentions towards her, she had started to tell him about a vague idea how to banish Sekhmet (and hopefully Hathor) from her body and the mood had become serious.

 

“So Esna is out of question.”

 

“What exactly are you looking for?” From the way she held her head slightly to the side and squinted her eyes Ardeth was sure she had a conversation with Hathor.

 

“A place that is devoted to a god of creation.”

 

His brows furrowed. He still did not understand. How could a creation god help them to get rid of the Eye? Still his mind tried to come up with various gods and goddesses who were associated with creation. There were deities like Shu, Tefnut, Nut and Geb who all played a role in the ancient creation story, but also ones like Heqet, Isis, and Meskhenet who were associated with birth and life. It was not the amount of creation deities that troubled him, but rather the place that was devoted to them. A lot of temples and sacred sites had been destroyed over the years, others forgotten or hidden by sands. The only places he could think of were ones that were built to honour Isis and given the painting on the cave in Deir-el-Bahari he did not think that appropriate.

 

“There are inscriptions of the ancient creation story, paintings of Nut and Geb, statures and scrolls of Hequet and Meskhenet but no monuments that are devoted to them, as far as I can remember.”

 

“Meskhenet.” She mumbled.

 

“She is the goddess of –“

 

“Childbirth, yes that might work!”

 

“It might? But she has no temple. She is more of a home and house goddess.”

 

“Yes, exactly.”

 

Ardeth still did not understand where this was going, but Lilly was smiling brightly at him and for a minute he allowed himself to simply smile back and worry later. It was not until they saddled his horse and she told him their destination, that common sense and a hefty dose of fear made him crash back into reality. Lilly instantly picked up on his reaction and sighed.

 

“Ardeth, I would never-“

 

“It is not you I am worried about!”

 

“Due to our visit, I know where your tribe has settled down so technically they know it too.”

 

“That does not make me feel any better!”

 

“They will not hurt you!” Lilly declared fiercely.

 

“Maybe not me, but my people-“

 

“To hurt your tribe means hurting you and I won’t let them!” Her tone left little room for argument but Ardeth was still hesitant. There was a difference between getting himself into danger or his tribe. And though he believed Lilly that she would do anything in her power to keep the goddesses from hurting his people they both knew that she could not guarantee it. If Sekhmet overpowered her or Hathor again, nobody was safe.

 

“But,” Lilly continued. “Maybe we can find a middle ground!”

 

Hesitant but hopeful he nodded his head and she continued.

 

“As you told me before Meskhenet is more or less a house goddess and therefore her sanctuary is not a temple but the place where she is worshipped inside a home. Given that she is the deity of childbirth I presume that she is mostly thought of in the hours of given birth, right?”

 

“I guess?” In all honesty Ardeth had never thought much about Meskhenet or most other gods. Though the Medjai were the guardians of many secrets and artefacts and knew of their lands ancient history -including gods and magic – they still believed in only one true god. The dichotomy had never bothered him.

 

“When you took me with you to your tribe,” Lilly continued and Ardeth could feel his lips twitch in amusement. _‘You mean when you bullied me into taking you with me!’_ He thought but wisely kept it to himself. “You mother showed me around your camp and-“

 

“She did?” He interrupted her surprised. “When?”

 

“Right after she interrogated me. Mostly about my intentions towards you!” Despite her twitching lips Ardeth was not sure if she was joking or not. How had he missed his mother and Lilly spending together? “Anyway, I remember that one tent in your camp was a birthplace.”

 

“Yes, we only pitch it…Oh!” He finally realised her intentions. “The tent could function as a ritual ground.”

 

“Yes! And as it is a tent, it is portable, so we don’t necessary have to go to your tribe. We could pitch it up wherever you think it would be safe.”

 

Thinking it over he finally nodded. “Yes, that might work.” They could pitch the tent somewhere in the desert, far away from everyone. Lilly apparently knew how to go about the ritual and Sekhmet had not made an appearance since yesterday. Things were looking up and somehow that sounded too good to be true.

 

Ardeth had a really bad feeling about this.

TBC

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Esna: Esna is a city around 55km south from Luxor. It is mostly known for the temple that is dedicated to the god Khnum, his consorts and his son Heka.  
> I wanted to use the location for this story but then I read somewhere that the temple was indeed used as a cotton warehouse since the mid-19th century. I could not find out how long it was used this way and simply decided that, at least for my story, it is still a warehouse. 
> 
> Khnum (the Divine Potter), like many other gods his powers, consorts and appearance changed over time. For this story I portray him in his role as Divine Potter. He creates children out of clay and puts them into their mother’s wombs. His (sometimes) consort Meskhenet breathes life into them (in the form of the Ka) at birth.  
> In some stories he also moulded the other deities, thus his titles as: Divine Potter and Lord of created things from himself.
> 
> Heqet/Meskhenet: If you look them up both a listed as a goddess of childbirth and consort of Khnum. I found more interesting stories about Meskhenet, as the breather of life, which is mainly why I chose her for this story. Like Heqet she is mentioned in some temples, but I could not find a sanctuary dedicated to her (who knows what was destroyed over the centuries or is buried under the sand?!) but I like the idea of a portable ritual ground *lol*
> 
> Ancient creation story (very short form): In the beginning Ra created nine gods: Tefnut (moisture) and Shu (emptiness/air). Geb (earth) husband of Nut (sky), who had five children: Osiris, Isis, Set, Nephthys and Horus.  
> There was a lot of drama concerning the actual birth of Nut and Geb’s children. It even ended with the creation of five days that did not exist until then. It’s an interesting story, you should look it up if you like myths.


End file.
